Thank you very much for your e-mail. As soon as we received it, we knew it was a topic we had to cover. Rather than investigating the two schools you mentioned, however, we decided to explore the issues you raised at the end of your note. We agree that parents, indeed, all of us, should be aware of the rules and regulations governing international and bilingual schools and what protection consumers have available when they feel they have be treated unjustly.

The bad news is that there are serious loopholes in the regulations currently governing the private school sector. These loopholes sometimes allow for the establishment of inferior schools and the provision of substandard service.

But there is some good news too. The loopholes have been largely confined to the pre-school and kindergarten levels and, most importantly, they are rapidly being closed. Also, for those parents and students whose problems can’t wait, there are government agencies willing – even eager – to help.

International elementary and secondary schools are tightly regulated by the Office of the Private Education Commission (OPEC) of the Ministry of Education. They are required to obtain local accreditation by the Ministry of Education. In addition, they are expected to obtain accreditation from an internationally-recognised accrediting agency within six years of being established.

Kesinee International School, for example, is applying for accreditation from the European Council of International Schools (ECIS). This is a lengthy and demanding process which goes far beyond the capacity of many kindergartens or nursery schools, says Kesinee’s principal Sally Holloway.

Kesinee Principal Sally Holloway, (left) a member of the ISAT working group on kindergarten quality assurance, together with Kumaree Chinawat who chairs the school’s board of advisors. Ms Kumaree is on a second ISAT committee helping to revise regulations on the establishment of international schools.

"ECIS does not allow you to even attempt the process until you’ve been open for three years," Holloway explains. "There’s no point in the kindergartens taking on a hefty project like ECIS. They don’t have the manpower. They’re not doing the whole programme."

Therefore, international kindergartens and nurseries as well as bilingual pre-school programmes have been largely unregulated. This, it turns out, has opened the door for the kind of abuses you (concerned parent) experienced.

"Frankly there were no rules and regulations or no guidelines to operate international kindergartens," observes M.L. Pariyada Diskul, the president of ISAT (International Schools Association of Thailand).

"The owners thought it was easy," she says. "Once they employ a foreign teacher, the teacher will do the rest. What if they leave? Who’s going to take over?"

As the pre-school sector began to grow more and more rapidly, OPEC quickly realised that some form of government oversight was sorely needed. The job of formulating and implementing the actual regulations has fallen to OPEC’s Special Policy School Division. That process is well advanced and division director, Ms Sirilak Manorom, expects it will be completed within two months.

Ms Sirilak Manorom, Director of the Special Policy School Division of the Office of Private Education Commission, displays a draft of the Kindergarten Quality Assurance document.

Ms Sirilak says her division, in close consultation with a 12-member working group from ISAT member schools, is preparing a detailed document entitled "International Kindergarten Quality Assurance". It will contain a lengthy set of criteria that all international kindergartens will be required to follow in running their operations.

A first draft has been completed and reviewed by two ministry committees, which in turn made a number of recommendations for revisions and improvements. The ISAT team is now reviewing the suggestions. Ms Sirilak says she expects one or two more rounds of revisions will be sufficient to complete a final draft for OPEC’s approval.

The learning post was able to obtain a copy of the revised draft (excerpts below), which, according to Ms Sirilak, is likely to be quite similar to the final version. As the document now stands, kindergarten quality assurance encompasses eight main categories, including school curriculum, school philosophy and aims, educational resources, buildings and environment, school management, educational staff, children’s health and well-being as well as children’s safety.

Also included in the revised draft are almost 100 indicators that must eventually be met to the satisfaction of outside inspectors. These include such diverse items as proper fire exits, procedures for screening visitors, the ratio of books to students, food preparation, and proper equipment for teaching mathematics.

Once the quality assurance document is approved, schools will be required to institute their own quality assurance procedures. They must then request a government inspection. All new international kindergartens will be inspected within three years from the date of receiving a school license, Ms Sirilak says.

What about parents who have serious grievances with their children’s schools right now? What should they do?

The answer is simple, says Ms. Sirilak. "Come to us."

"If parents feel they have been unfairly treated or if they feel that the school does not provide suitable value for the money, they should report it here to the Special Policy Division of the OPEC," she says.

OPEC does not, however, have jurisdiction for nursery schools and day-care centres. They are overseen by the Public Welfare Department, so parents should take their complaints there, Ms Sirilak says.

There are also limits to what the special policy division can do for parents. It cannot, for example, force the repayment of non-refundable registration fees.

Archarn Chorpha Supradith na Auddhya, a staff member of the department directly responsible for international schools, strongly suggests that parents contact the special policy division when they have a complaint.

She says from her experience, parents are often reluctant to complain to the school administration for fear that it will adversely affect their children.

"Please do not hesitate to call and share your problem with us," Archarn Chorpha says. "Alternatively, you can write us, even anonymously if you wish. We will treat your petition with strict confidentiality," she promises.

"In the case of recouping fees, we can act as a mediator," Ms Sirilak explains. "We can discuss the problem and negotiate with the school owners, perhaps getting half the registration fee returned. We have been successful in doing so."

Selected examples from the current draft of International Kindergarten Quality Assurance safety All paint and equipment is non-toxic…All chemicals and cleaning fluids are kept in secure conditions. environment The accommodation is of an adequate size for the number of children enrolled and there is the equivalent of at least 2.5 square metres of internal teaching space for every child…Teaching areas are situated on no more than one floor above ground level. resources There is a variety of soft furnishings – cushions, carpets, and soft toys. These are of an adequate number, in good condition. staffing At least 50 percent of all teaching staff are professionally qualified to education degree level and are experienced in teaching the age range accepted by the school. health There is a designated trained first aid person/nurse always on the premises and clear procedures for dealing with sick children and the administration of medication and first aid.

Contact information for filing complaints Special Policy School Division, (Office of the Private Education Commission), Ministry of Education, Bangkok 10300 Tel: 02-282-9998; 02-628-9049 Fax: 02-282-9634

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Last modified: March 24, 2003