'Local' Education in Phuket. Thoughts?

[davidjg]

Let me start by saying that I have read through many of the topics both here in the Phuket forum as well as the general forums also. I know that it is a bit of a touchy subject but I would like to try to summarize peoples experiences here, without it getting too personal.

Just to give you a bit of background, I am a recent arrival to Phuket with 3 young children (Non Thai) all currently in local schools/kindergartens. The reasons for putting my kids in local school rather international are:

a) Cost

We plan to stay here long term so we want the kids to be able to speak the local language

c) Our kids were born in China so they currently attend a Chinese/Thai bilingual school so as to keep their Chinese language skills (not spoken at home).

My issue is that having been here for only a few months, I have already started to hear stories from long term expats as well as here on TV about the quality of the local school system. My experience so far is that the local school has been great, although I cannot communicate very well with the teachers so how much info can I really take out myself? From what I understand, the issue with the local schools is not so much the learning methods (these are also questionable in China), but the culture of laziness, lack of motivation/aspiration/ambition etc.

I would love to hear from parents who have put their kids through the local school system here and the good, bad and the ugly of their kids development. I am also interested to hear from educators who have taught in the local system and their feedback.

I am still trying to work out how long to keep my kids in the local system before transferring them to international. Ideally, I would like them all to be fluent in both Thai and Chinese first, to the point where a couple hours a week of private tutoring would maintain their language skills. What I don't want though is to sacrifice the rest of their education for the sake of keeping these languages.

[fiddlehead]

There are many different levels of quality schools here.
But in the long run, in my opinion, even the best one is not as good as a school in your home country or whichever country it may be that you want your child to be proficient in it's language.
Here's why I think this way: All the schools here have a mixture of students from different countries and often even the parents are mixed languages/cultures.
So, the teacher is always going to be trying to make Ivan (Russian) understand, as well as Lee (Chinese), Sven (Swedish), Tony (Italian), Pedro (Spanish), Pierre (French), and Chai (Thai) ALL IN THE SAME CLASS.

So, if it's the highest quality education you want, you'd better go home.

That said, the better the teachers, the better education they should be giving your children.
The better the teacher, the more they get paid.
So, the higher priced schools give the best education.

But, I have friends who sent their kids to the best and they still couldn't communicate (in their parents native language) good enough to get into a university in that country.

We who live here and have children can only guess at where they will end up.
So, we try to prepare them for as much as possible.

It's not easy making some of the choices we get put in front of us.

As the other thread suggests: location of the school is also important. Who wants their child to ride 2+ hours on a minibus EVERYDAY!
I know I don't.

Chalong circle is bad enough.
Some kids from Rawai send their kids to PIA and that's aprox 1 1/2 hours each way!

Not a good way to spend your childhood IMO.

Anyway, that's my 2 cents on the subject.
Good luck.

[falkan]

majority of local thais with money don't put their young kids in international schools due they don't want their kids to mixed with western ideas aka keep their thai identity then of course having their kids mix with luk krung with a mother as bar girl is big no no, then later send them overseas to study when they +18..

i think you're doing a smart choice here!

Edited August 28, 2014 by falkan

[beechbum]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

majority of local thais with money don't put their young kids in international schools due they don't want their kids to mixed with western ideas aka keep their thai identity then of course having their kids mix with luk krung with a mother as bar girl is big no no, then later send them overseas to study when they +18..

i think you're doing a smart choice here!

Sorry but i don't agree with that at all and see the proof of it twice a day Monday to Friday.

[falkan]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

majority of local thais with money don't put their young kids in international schools due they don't want their kids to mixed with western ideas aka keep their thai identity then of course having their kids mix with luk krung with a mother as bar girl is big no no, then later send them overseas to study when they +18..

i think you're doing a smart choice here!

Sorry but i don't agree with that at all and see the proof of it twice a day Monday to Friday.

Pian, Chalermluck, Somjai, Jamleran etc etc "Phukets finest" never send their young kids to international schools in Phuket..

[stevenl]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

majority of local thais with money don't put their young kids in international schools due they don't want their kids to mixed with western ideas aka keep their thai identity then of course having their kids mix with luk krung with a mother as bar girl is big no no, then later send them overseas to study when they +18..

i think you're doing a smart choice here!

Sorry but i don't agree with that at all and see the proof of it twice a day Monday to Friday.

Same here, I see many educated Thais sending their kids to the international schools.

But we'd better get on topic, the OP was enquiring about the public schools.

[pest]

Hi David

Check out Kajonkiet Suksa English program

its about 100,000 bht per term

great school in Kathu

[madmitch]

Hi David

Check out Kajonkiet Suksa English program

its about 100,000 bht per term

great school in Kathu

The OP asked for a local Thai school.

OP, let us know where you are based in Phuket as this may have a bearing on recommendations. As Fiddlehead rightly said, you don't want to spend half your day travelling to and from school.

[davidjg]

Hi David

Check out Kajonkiet Suksa English program

its about 100,000 bht per term

great school in Kathu

The OP asked for a local Thai school.

OP, let us know where you are based in Phuket as this may have a bearing on recommendations. As Fiddlehead rightly said, you don't want to spend half your day travelling to and from school.

Just to clarify, I am not looking for local Thai schools. I'm looking for feedback on the local Thai school system in Phuket. My kids are already in the local system. I'm just trying to decide when to move them into the international system and the possible risks involved in leaving them in the local system for too long.

[madmitch]

Hi David

Check out Kajonkiet Suksa English program

its about 100,000 bht per term

great school in Kathu

The OP asked for a local Thai school.

OP, let us know where you are based in Phuket as this may have a bearing on recommendations. As Fiddlehead rightly said, you don't want to spend half your day travelling to and from school.

Just to clarify, I am not looking for local Thai schools. I'm looking for feedback on the local Thai school system in Phuket. My kids are already in the local system. I'm just trying to decide when to move them into the international system and the possible risks involved in leaving them in the local system for too long.

Sorry. My mistake.

I I did the same as you, though my daughter was at a small Thai nursery school before I moved her to Headstart. I don't see the point of starting International School too early, but she was born in Thailand so Thai is her first language.

We moved her around the age of five. She did one term in Reception before moving to year 1. That was about right for us but you may wish to wait until your children reach a certain level of fluency in Thai. You'll know when they are ready, I'm sure. Kids join Headstart from the Thai system at any time during Primary but personally I wouldn't leave it past the age of seven or eight.

[hansgruber]

If your kids are born in China and schooled there, why not try thai hua school. Thai/Chinese/English programs.

http://www.phuketthaihua.ac.th/

Edited August 29, 2014 by hansgruber

[davidjg]

If your kids are born in China and schooled there, why not try thai hua school. Thai/Chinese/English programs.

http://www.phuketthaihua.ac.th/

This is where they are now. From my understanding, Thai Hua is still classified as a local school and the kids will be educated in the Thai way with the Thai curriculum. Chinese is quite a major part of the curriculum as they get older but I think English is pretty much an afterthought. I want to make sure that my kids will be educated to international level by the time they leave school.

[hansgruber]

If your kids are born in China and schooled there, why not try thai hua school. Thai/Chinese/English programs.

http://www.phuketthaihua.ac.th/

This is where they are now. From my understanding, Thai Hua is still classified as a local school and the kids will be educated in the Thai way with the Thai curriculum. Chinese is quite a major part of the curriculum as they get older but I think English is pretty much an afterthought. I want to make sure that my kids will be educated to international level by the time they leave school.

Even international schools have to do a certain amount of thai curriculum by law so it's not avoidable. I've been told it's a fantastic school but the waiting lists are quite long.

Chinese is something I'd like my boys to do.

[Eliot Rosewater]

If your kids are born in China and schooled there, why not try thai hua school. Thai/Chinese/English programs.

http://www.phuketthaihua.ac.th/

This is where they are now. From my understanding, Thai Hua is still classified as a local school and the kids will be educated in the Thai way with the Thai curriculum. Chinese is quite a major part of the curriculum as they get older but I think English is pretty much an afterthought. I want to make sure that my kids will be educated to international level by the time they leave school.

Even international schools have to do a certain amount of thai curriculum by law so it's not avoidable. I've been told it's a fantastic school but the waiting lists are quite long.

Chinese is something I'd like my boys to do.

What you say is only true for Thai nationals

There is no obligation for foreign nationals to study Thai

[hansgruber]

If your kids are born in China and schooled there, why not try thai hua school. Thai/Chinese/English programs.

http://www.phuketthaihua.ac.th/

This is where they are now. From my understanding, Thai Hua is still classified as a local school and the kids will be educated in the Thai way with the Thai curriculum. Chinese is quite a major part of the curriculum as they get older but I think English is pretty much an afterthought. I want to make sure that my kids will be educated to international level by the time they leave school.

Even international schools have to do a certain amount of thai curriculum by law so it's not avoidable. I've been told it's a fantastic school but the waiting lists are quite long.

Chinese is something I'd like my boys to do.

What you say is only true for Thai nationals

There is no obligation for foreign nationals to study Thai

All schools must teach a minimum amount of thai to even get licenced. That was my point.

Do your kids sing the Thai national anthem at school? Serious question.

[davidjg]

If your kids are born in China and schooled there, why not try thai hua school. Thai/Chinese/English programs.

http://www.phuketthaihua.ac.th/

This is where they are now. From my understanding, Thai Hua is still classified as a local school and the kids will be educated in the Thai way with the Thai curriculum. Chinese is quite a major part of the curriculum as they get older but I think English is pretty much an afterthought. I want to make sure that my kids will be educated to international level by the time they leave school.

Even international schools have to do a certain amount of thai curriculum by law so it's not avoidable. I've been told it's a fantastic school but the waiting lists are quite long.

Chinese is something I'd like my boys to do.

I applied a few months before the term started and my two boys got into two different year groups, no problem. There was no mention of waiting lists. Good to hear about what you have heard about the school. Generally, I have heard the same, although I recently heard about some bad experiences also.

[markg]

To the OP - it depends where you want them to be when they are at university age. I know this may be a long way off for you at the moment but I think you SHOULD think about it.

A Thai school prepares children for a Thai university and then life within Thailand. And there is nothing intrinsically wrong with that.

However, if you are considering a 'first world' university then the local school system here will not equip them for that.

Ask the local Thai school what exams the students leave school with and see if that enables them to get into a university in your home country. It won't be.

The longer you leave it, the longer it takes to equip them with the critical thinking skills required in first world universities.

As for international schools 'having to teach Thai by law to get licensed' - yes - it is, i believe, 90 minutes a week. You don't really spend all that money to send your non-Thai kids to an international school if you want them to learn Thai.

You spend the money because you want them to have the education you had (or wished you'd had!)

[Blindside]

"All schools must teach a minimum amount of thai to even get licenced. That was my point.
Do your kids sing the Thai national anthem at school? Serious question."

Hans is correct on that. Even British Curriculum Schools have to teach Thai. Even to non-native speakers. Our school requires the kids to do an hour a day of Thai and 2 hours a week of Mandarin / Chinese culture.

David if you are worried about the level of education, I now I am talking strictly in terms of academics, look at countries like UK or which ever country you come from and see what is expected of them in their age group. Especially English, Maths and Science. Test them a little, see what they know.

My concern is always less about academics and more about a way of thinking and a questioning (but respectful) attitude. You can always catch up in academics, but a point of view or way of thinking can take a life time to change. Always be talking with them and gauging. All of us should be doing that anyway.

[digitalchromakey]

Hi David

Check out Kajonkiet Suksa English program

its about 100,000 bht per term

great school in Kathu

Basic Fees at Kajonkiet Suksa are more like 60,000 THB per term for the English Programme and there are only two terms per year.

There are charges for extra tuition, etc. if required.

I send my two young children there and am generally very pleased with their progress.

[davidjg]

What would be the main differences between the cheaper international schools (Palm House, Oakwood etc) and the English Programmes of the Thai schools (Kajonkiet, Darasamuth)? I get the impression that there are better reviews coming out of the Thai schools.

[hansgruber]

What would be the main differences between the cheaper international schools (Palm House, Oakwood etc) and the English Programmes of the Thai schools (Kajonkiet, Darasamuth)? I get the impression that there are better reviews coming out of the Thai schools.

I guess it boils down to management. Some like Thai run schools and some like farang run schools.

I believe that Thai management is better all round.

Do a bit of research on who founded the school.

When I did I found that a majority of the Farang owned schools didn't have a educational career back in their homeland.

More of a means to stay here.

I'd question anyone's motive if it wasn't a chosen career before entering Thailand.