A guide to choosing the best international school for your kids

[Fluke]

8 minutes ago, gummy said:

@Faz I really think we are wasting our time explaining the "facts of life" regarding Thai schooling in the villages. Those of us who have lived here and have families of course understand but others who have never had that experience fail to comprehend that life here is very different from perhaps how they, you and me grew up in a Western society.  They either can not fully comprehend the difficulties faced by many  of the poorer  Thai folk  here or simply have no wish to accept it  it seems.

I have lived in such villages and am speaking from experience . 

Nearest bus stop was 10 kilometers away (for the hourly bus)

Nearest 7/11 was 50 kilometers away .

No regular telephone  connection , usually could just get connect in the evening.

A trickle of running water to fill up  a water drum .

Running an electric kettle would cause the electric supply to switch off .

Do I pass the test for having lived in *real* Thailand ?

[gummy]

4 minutes ago, Fluke said:

All Children in Thailand are guaranteed a free basic education up to 15 years of age , guaranteed under the Thai constitution .

   As I recall, the cost of school uniforms was 500 Baht per year and the Parents contributed to school dinners , which were about ten Baht per day and even then Parents who couldn't afford that could apply to get them for free 

Clearly you did not understand the thrust of my earlier post by this comment

 

9 minutes ago, Marc26 said:

95% of children in Thailand go to school!

That's a fact!

Nobody is disputing that are they ?  But of say an estimated 5 million school children then the other 5% is a significant number who for reasons I and others have previously stated , are disadvantaged. Or do you not think 250,000 children from some of the poorest families in Thailand are worth caring about ?

[Fluke]

4 minutes ago, gummy said:

Clearly you did not understand the thrust of my earlier post by this comment

Nobody is disputing that are they ?  But of say an estimated 5 million school children then the other 5% is a significant number who for reasons I and others have previously stated , are disadvantaged. Or do you not think 250,000 children from some of the poorest families in Thailand are worth caring about ?

From my observation , the kids not in school , are not in school because they don't want to attend school .

  There have been school places provided for them, but they choose not to go .

They are usually seen hanging around with a plastic bag full of solvents . 

No one can force them to sit in school , so much so that the Teacher tells them NOT to hang around the school if they are not attending as they just cause a nuisance and a distraction to all the other kids in school .

[Faz]

16 minutes ago, Marc26 said:

Aren't all public elementary schools free?

No, they are subject to (subsidised) term 'fees', plus the cost of uniforms, books and transportation.
Some also offer special 'programs' which are costed additionally to standard fees.

If they school in a Province other than where they are registered in a Tabien Baan, then they're required to  pay the full fees.
 

[gummy]

1 minute ago, Fluke said:

From my observation , the kids not in school , are not in school because they don't want to attend school .

  There have been school places provided for them, but they choose not to go .

They are usually seen hanging around with a plastic bag full of solvents . 

No one can force them to sit in school , so much so that the Teacher tells them NOT to hang around the school if they are not attending as they just cause a nuisance and a distraction to all the other kids in school .

Excuse me Fluke but you have told us you live in Chiang Mai - correct  or not ?   If so I must commend you on your eyesight in observing school children in the many villages many KM way from the main towns that we have discussed here. Perhaps you could tell me and @Faz exactly how many hours/days/weeks/years you have lived even in one remote village to make that observation of yours ? Or is it simply, as I have already stated, you have  no idea of life amongst the poorest folk in Thailand ? If the latter then fine it is not an issue  but please don't comment and pass judgement on things you have no conception of, there's a good job.

[Fluke]

3 minutes ago, gummy said:

Excuse me Fluke but you have told us you live in Chiang Mai - correct  or not ?   If so I must commend you on your eyesight in observing school children in the many villages many KM way from the main towns that we have discussed here. Perhaps you could tell me and @Faz exactly how many hours/days/weeks/years you have lived even in one remote village to make that observation of yours ? Or is it simply, as I have already stated, you have  no idea of life amongst the poorest folk in Thailand ? If the latter then fine it is not an issue  but please don't comment and pass judgement on things you have no conception of, there's a good job.

Yes, I do live in Chiang Mai , I also stayed in a rural village 50 kilometers away from Chaing Saen and Chiang Rai and renovated a house in the village  and have paid for four different kids to attend local schools , well, just paid a few hundred Baht for their bags and uniforms every now and then . 

   Just last month I visited an old friend who was living in a bamboo shack in a remote village with no toilet , fridge or television  and I paid the yearly 1000 Baht for the kid to get the school bus to school and back everyday .

   Does that qualify me to "know what I'm talking about" and to have experienced the "real Thailand " ?

[gummy]

Just now, Fluke said:

Yes, I do live in Chiang Mai , I also stayed in a rural village 50 kilometers away from Chaing Saen and Chiang Rai and renovated a house in the village  and have paid for four different kids to attend local schools , well, just paid a few hundred Baht for their bags and uniforms every now and then . 

   Just last month I visited an old friend who was living in a bamboo shack in a remote village with no toilet , fridge or television  and I paid the yearly 1000 Baht for the kid to get the school bus to school and back everyday .

   Does that qualify me to "know what I'm talking about" and to have experienced the "real Thailand " ?

That's excellent and very good of you to contribute to that child's educational needs. Highly commendable indeed, Unfortunately many thousands do not have the good fortune of having kind benefactors such as yourself. By the way how long did you live in that house in the rural village ?

[Fluke]

7 minutes ago, gummy said:

That's excellent and very good of you to contribute to that child's educational needs. Highly commendable indeed, Unfortunately many thousands do not have the good fortune of having kind benefactors such as yourself. By the way how long did you live in that house in the rural village ?

The poorest kids get their uniforms and books subsidised and all the kids get a unifrom, one way or another . 

   I stayed in the village and the city, coming and going , sometimes spending months, weeks , days there 

[Faz]

I've just been speaking to the wife for some clarification.

Government Junior schools age 7- 12 offer free basic education.
Uniform costs, shirts, trousers, shoes, sportswear etc, over 1,000 baht per set and they'll need at least 2 sets.
Basic minimum of 50 baht per day for food and drink.
If your child is bright they can enrol into special 'programs' in different subjects, 4,600 for 2 terms per subject. If they are registered in a different Province than the school it's a one of 5,000 BHT entrance fee in addition to the above. Transport costs variable.

Government Senior schools age 12 -17, 3,200  per term fees.
Uniform costs at least, if not more than those listed above.
Special 'program' enrolment fees 10,000 a term fee.
Again variable transport costs.

The above is based on average, depending on location and the 'reputation' of the school these fees can be considerably more.

My wife still has contact with the village community where she was raised and went to school.
Two of her friends never had schooling from the age of 12 as their parents simply couldn't afford it.
They speak Thai but are not fluent in reading and writing.

The next stage after 17 (if you can qualify) is for University, the costs of which I'm very familiar with.  

[Marc26]

1 hour ago, gummy said:

Clearly you did not understand the thrust of my earlier post by this comment

Nobody is disputing that are they ?  But of say an estimated 5 million school children then the other 5% is a significant number who for reasons I and others have previously stated , are disadvantaged. Or do you not think 250,000 children from some of the poorest families in Thailand are worth caring about ?

I've said there are, unfortunately, abject poor that won't have advantages others have

And that does suck

 

But the debate was about providing schooling and Thailand does do that

Unfortunately some are in dire straits that they can't even take advantage of that 

 

I do understand and feel for those people 

 

It just wasn't what was being discussed, really 

[Marc26]

57 minutes ago, Faz said:

No, they are subject to (subsidised) term 'fees', plus the cost of uniforms, books and transportation.
Some also offer special 'programs' which are costed additionally to standard fees.

If they school in a Province other than where they are registered in a Tabien Baan, then they're required to  pay the full fees.
 

Yes my stepson has always gone to school in Samut Prakan to private schools

Initially my wife put him in there because they weren't on any house books in that province so he couldn't attend public school

 

Then he was just kept in them 

 

And yeah, as you stated, even the free schools have some fees

And a lot  families do struggle with those fees

We've helped out our niece quite a lot because she is 1yr older than my stepson  

They are both in University now, her at Chulalongkorn and my stepson at Thamassat 

 

[Marc26]

1 hour ago, Faz said:

No, they are subject to (subsidised) term 'fees', plus the cost of uniforms, books and transportation.
Some also offer special 'programs' which are costed additionally to standard fees.

If they school in a Province other than where they are registered in a Tabien Baan, then they're required to  pay the full fees.
 

Oh and I know about the programs!

My stepson signed up for every single one he could

He'd be at school until 6-7pm

Anything to not go home to his extremely strict grandmother! 5555

[Marc26]

11 minutes ago, Faz said:

I've just been speaking to the wife for some clarification.

Government Junior schools age 7- 12 offer free basic education.
Uniform costs, shirts, trousers, shoes, sportswear etc, over 1,000 baht per set and they'll need at least 2 sets.
Basic minimum of 50 baht per day for food and drink.
If your child is bright they can enrol into special 'programs' in different subjects, 4,600 for 2 terms per subject. If they are registered in a different Province than the school it's a one of 5,000 BHT entrance fee in addition to the above. Transport costs variable.

Government Senior schools age 12 -17, 3,200  per term fees.
Uniform costs at least, if not more than those listed above.
Special 'program' enrolment fees 10,000 a term fee.
Again variable transport costs.

The above is based on average, depending on location and the 'reputation' of the school these fees can be considerably more.

My wife still has contact with the village community where she was raised and went to school.
Two of her friends never had schooling from the age of 12 as their parents simply couldn't afford it.
They speak Thai but are not fluent in reading and writing.

The next stage after 17 (if you can qualify) is for University, the costs of which I'm very familiar with.  

My wife left school at that age as well, maybe a little older

13 or 14yrs old but now you talk about 12yrs , it could have been that age

And was working since then in factories and was even a house girl for a family 

 

But apparently I don't know or understand "real people"

 

She can read and write very well and her English writing isn't too bad either

Extremely smart girl with very little education.......