A Few Excellent Thai Schools Public Or Private But Not "International"

[BigJohnnyBKK]

My understanding on the top few true international schools, and from my experience their Thai students certainly are from wealthy/connected families, as p.a. tuition is well over half a million per head, in no particular order:

Patana, ISB, NIST, Harrow, Shrewsbury, ASB, Ruamrudee

others?

There are schools the rich and well connected go to that aren't international schools. International schools are below these in Thai society.

I would like a list of such schools please, especially in Bangkok. Don't need to be/have "English Programme" either, vanilla Thai with normal courses would be fine.

I believe some are private, founded originally by the Catholics - Mater Dei is a girls school near me?

I've heard some of them are even public (government) schools, apparently in the area north of Chinatown within those canals going around the grand palace etc - Dusit district?

Links to relevant articles/discussions here or other sites would also be greatly appreciated. . .

[arthurwait]

I've no idea of the quality and I can't remember other school names or the number of them mentioned in the conversation, but social standing wise this is apparently one of two maybe three girls schools at the top. I'm told.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wattana_Wittaya_Academy

http://www.wattana.ac.th/wwa/index.asp

Things maybe different now, but I think it is still regarded (maybe not in educational standards ) above international schools along with the others.

Oh it's somewhere up Asok road.

[StreetCowboy]

Lasalle College on Soi Lasalle has quite a good reputation, I believe.

Academically, Patana holds its own against its peers regionally, and I believe world-wide. A friend told me it was a big step back for his daughter when she returned to a good school in the UK (though it was to a good fee-paying school, not to a top-rank place, I think)

SC

[Geekfreaklover]

I've taught at Satit Chula high school and Bodinecha Ramkamheang and they both have good English programs. Public schools with private programmes. That's to name just two. Government schools in Bangkok are good for students who are placed in the higher level classes. If the students are not high achievers then they would be better served by an international school. But an international school prepares students for an international career. If you wish for your kids to live and work in Thailand then a government high school may be a better option. The nuances of Thai social structure, language, culture have to be learned outside of the international MacDonalds style school programmes. I have always thought that the best education path for my three children is a good private pratum school followed by acceptance into the top tier classes of a good government school followed by university abroad. Then a return to working in Bangkok, if they chose to do so.

Edited June 14, 2012 by Geekfreaklover

[BigJohnnyBKK]

I've no idea of the quality and I can't remember other school names or the number of them mentioned in the conversation, but social standing wise this is apparently one of two maybe three girls schools at the top. I'm told.

Love the idea of schools' "social standing" not having any relationship to academic quality, only in Thailand 8-) Well I guess if you know the family fortunes are so well entrenched in the corrupt mafia-run economy that no one has to actually do anything to earn money for at least a half-dozen generations out. . .

No other suggestions?

If not actual school lists, then ideas/links towards getting more?

[p_brownstone]

I believe the most desirable schools for "Hi-so" in Bangkok are :

Rajini School - for girls - http://www.rajini.ac.th/english/main1.html

Vajiravudh College - for boys - http://www.vajiravudhcollege.com/page/history-193.html

That said many well known Thai families send their children to ISB - not sure about other International Schools.

Patrick

[Trembly]

The ones that arthurwait is quoted as referring to in the OP are almost all catholic schools. However, they are most certainly not considered to be 'above' the premier league international schools (Pattana, Harrow, Shrewsbury, ISB, NIST, RIS and possibly ASB but they were rather small in my day).

Notwithstanding those parents who have no interest in sending their children to anything but a Thai school and don't seriously entertain the thought of their children going abroad, the top-tier Thai schools are more of a consolation 'best' for those who can't afford to send their children to an international school or whose children don't meet the criteria.

The scions of the CP empire went to Harrow, as did the children of the Benjarongkul (DTAC), Maleenont (BEC Tero or Channel 3) Liptapanlop (stalwart politician) and Laothamatas (one of the 'rice families' earmarked for execution in the Thai communist manifesto with branches in politics) to name but a few names.

If they went to the catholic schools it means that they probably won't be able to speak English and wouldn't have been forced to learn French / German / Japanese / Chinese / Korean etc in addition to English at school.

QED I think.

Edited June 15, 2012 by Trembly

[arthurwait]

I've no idea of the quality and I can't remember other school names or the number of them mentioned in the conversation, but social standing wise this is apparently one of two maybe three girls schools at the top. I'm told.

Love the idea of schools' "social standing" not having any relationship to academic quality, only in Thailand 8-) Well I guess if you know the family fortunes are so well entrenched in the corrupt mafia-run economy that no one has to actually do anything to earn money for at least a half-dozen generations out. . .

No other suggestions?

If not actual school lists, then ideas/links towards getting more?

I'll see if I can find out.

Your description is rather fitting. The above was described to me by a Thai friend as something like:

" It's Thailands Eton for girls. A school where the countries richest girls go to be turned into perfect little ladies to marry the countries richest young men". Obvioulsy not everyone that goes there fits that description though, but will have a succesful family business. If it's true.

Edited June 15, 2012 by arthurwait

[arthurwait]

Just to point out the original quote of mine was from another thread in reply to a poster saying Thais with money only send their kids to international school.

Also it was referring to grown ups ( well actually bunny boilers) that would have gone to school in the past.

Oh and girls from WWA can speak English and learn french.

The poster who said people who only want to send their kids to Thai schools could well be right. Things could well have changed as the people talking with me about it are in their mid-thirties and didn't go there.

[arthurwait]

What are the international schools like in Bang Na ? I don't know the names. Is there one or two and another off the Bang Na -Trat ? Or am I thinking of one nearer On Nut ?

[StreetCowboy]

What are the international schools like in Bang Na ? I don't know the names. Is there one or two and another off the Bang Na -Trat ? Or am I thinking of one nearer On Nut ?

Sorry; you're powers of telepathy are letting you down again. Can you give us some clues about the school you are thinking of?

Wellington School has a little campus between On Nut station and the karaoke bars, but its always closed when I walk past around midnight.

St Andrews has a primary campus in Bangna about Soi 111 or so; Patana is on a single campus a couple of kilometres down Soi Lasalle (105) in Bangna. There's a new international school whose name eludes me recently completed costruction on the North side of Bangna Trad between Sukhumvit and Central, Bangna. As I recall, there is a Taiwanese school of Bangna Trad somewhere around km 6 or 7 on the South side, though it is not very high profile. I think there's more, as well, but you were probably thinking of one or more of those...

SC

[jayboy]

The ones that arthurwait is quoted as referring to in the OP are almost all catholic schools. However, they are most certainly not considered to be 'above' the premier league international schools (Pattana, Harrow, Shrewsbury, ISB, NIST, RIS and possibly ASB but they were rather small in my day).

Notwithstanding those parents who have no interest in sending their children to anything but a Thai school and don't seriously entertain the thought of their children going abroad, the top-tier Thai schools are more of a consolation 'best' for those who can't afford to send their children to an international school or whose children don't meet the criteria.

The scions of the CP empire went to Harrow, as did the children of the Benjarongkul (DTAC), Maleenont (BEC Tero or Channel 3) Liptapanlop (stalwart politician) and Laothamatas (one of the 'rice families' earmarked for execution in the Thai communist manifesto with branches in politics) to name but a few names.

If they went to the catholic schools it means that they probably won't be able to speak English and wouldn't have been forced to learn French / German / Japanese / Chinese / Korean etc in addition to English at school.

QED I think.

The examples you give of families attending top tier international schools are all Sino Thai commercial tycoon types some more established than others.

You are quite wrong incidentally that the Thai patrician class perceive these international schools,excellent though some of them are, as superior to the long established and fashionable Thai schools - many with a RC provenance.

In any case the true blue Thai upper class tends to follow their English equivalents practice and send their male offspring at an early age to boarding school overseas.

[jayboy]

I've no idea of the quality and I can't remember other school names or the number of them mentioned in the conversation, but social standing wise this is apparently one of two maybe three girls schools at the top. I'm told.

Love the idea of schools' "social standing" not having any relationship to academic quality, only in Thailand 8-) Well I guess if you know the family fortunes are so well entrenched in the corrupt mafia-run economy that no one has to actually do anything to earn money for at least a half-dozen generations out. . .

No other suggestions?

If not actual school lists, then ideas/links towards getting more?

I'll see if I can find out.

Your description is rather fitting. The above was described to me by a Thai friend as something like:

" It's Thailands Eton for girls. A school where the countries richest girls go to be turned into perfect little ladies to marry the countries richest young men". Obvioulsy not everyone that goes there fits that description though, but will have a succesful family business. If it's true.

Your Thai friend has a warped idea about Eton which ,apart from a few Prince Harry types is an academic power house these days not a finishing school.

There are no girl school equivalents of Eton.Mater Dei is however a very good school; a UK equivalent might be St Paul's girls in London, though that also is full of ambitious and brainy girls who don't have any prime ambition of landing a husband any time soon

[samran]

My cousin and a few colleagues went to Mater Dei, it certainly seems like a good school. My cousin now works for the UN. Bodindeecha at Ramkhamhaeng is another. A daughter of the friend of the family went there and she became lawyer at Baker & Mckenzie.

My nieces go to Jurairat, at the palace, but good luck getting in there unless you are well connected.

[samran]

I forgot to mention, there is a boarding school in Dusit, near the palacr again. Forget the name, but recall it has rugby fields.

[Trembly]

Just to point out the original quote of mine was from another thread in reply to a poster saying Thais with money only send their kids to international school.

Also it was referring to grown ups ( well actually bunny boilers) that would have gone to school in the past.

Oh and girls from WWA can speak English and learn french.

The poster who said people who only want to send their kids to Thai schools could well be right. Things could well have changed as the people talking with me about it are in their mid-thirties and didn't go there.

I would be surprised if they spoke near-native English; Good enough English to decently pass an English General Certificate of Secondary Education or A-Level diploma . . . which would be one of the preferred prerequisite to going to a boarding school / college or university in the west respectively, which is why their parents either they send them to foreign boarding schools in the first place or send them to international schools.

The top-tier international schools have a deliberate policy of keeping the Thai student population to a minority - that could be why the people you talk to in your mid-thirties didn't go there, plus when they were of school age Thailand was a very different place with far fewer people who had even heard of international schools let alone be able to afford them (they were just as expensive then as they are now, with respect to spending power).

Edited June 21, 2012 by Trembly

[Trembly]

The ones that arthurwait is quoted as referring to in the OP are almost all catholic schools. However, they are most certainly not considered to be 'above' the premier league international schools (Pattana, Harrow, Shrewsbury, ISB, NIST, RIS and possibly ASB but they were rather small in my day).

Notwithstanding those parents who have no interest in sending their children to anything but a Thai school and don't seriously entertain the thought of their children going abroad, the top-tier Thai schools are more of a consolation 'best' for those who can't afford to send their children to an international school or whose children don't meet the criteria.

The scions of the CP empire went to Harrow, as did the children of the Benjarongkul (DTAC), Maleenont (BEC Tero or Channel 3) Liptapanlop (stalwart politician) and Laothamatas (one of the 'rice families' earmarked for execution in the Thai communist manifesto with branches in politics) to name but a few names.

If they went to the catholic schools it means that they probably won't be able to speak English and wouldn't have been forced to learn French / German / Japanese / Chinese / Korean etc in addition to English at school.

QED I think.

The examples you give of families attending top tier international schools are all Sino Thai commercial tycoon types some more established than others.

You are quite wrong incidentally that the Thai patrician class perceive these international schools,excellent though some of them are, as superior to the long established and fashionable Thai schools - many with a RC provenance.

In any case the true blue Thai upper class tends to follow their English equivalents practice and send their male offspring at an early age to boarding school overseas.

I responded to the post that said words to the effect of 'Thais with money send their . . . . etc'. I never mentioned true-blue Loog-Than Laan-Ther establishment.

As you say, many Thai patricians will send their young to an established Thai school for a stint of 'proper Thai education' first before sending them off abroad, usually to the UK for a 'proper western education'.

Edited June 21, 2012 by Trembly