The very first international school in Thailand opened in 1951. No more than what one hand can count followed in the next few decades — it became a community which only opened its doors to children of expats and English-speaking students who had lived abroad for three years or more.
International School Bangkok.
Yet in 1992, the onset of globalisation prompted former prime minister Anand Panyarachun to state that Thai students should have the opportunity to go to international schools as well. Since then, the number of international schools has gradually increased. There were approximately 60 schools a decade ago. Today, 147 dot the country.
It's not just quantity, but there is also quality among these schools. Often considered more prestigious than regular Thai schools, they boast world-class facilities and the best education money can buy.
But the media have voiced concerns over the extremely low rankings Thai students received in 2012's Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa), an assessment which is designed to measure scholastic performance from students of each country around the world, carried out by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Staggeringly, Thailand stood in 50th place from the 65 countries measured. Among the top performers were China, Singapore, Taiwan, Korea and Japan, followed by European countries Liechtenstein, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Estonia and Finland.
However, when talking about the International School Assessment (ISA), an exam based on Pisa but which specifically measures the performance of students in international schools around the world, students from such establishments in Thailand were among the top scorers in 2014, even more so than their Japanese, Singaporean, Finnish, Swiss and American counterparts. International education in Thailand has come a long way since its humble beginnings where student numbers rarely exceeded 50. The International Schools Association of Thailand (Isat) has also played an important role by presenting a unified voice and advocating for international schools, while also striving to provide the best quality education. To mark its 20th anniversary, we talk to the current president, Usa Somboon, about the phenomenal growth in this 20 billion baht industry and whether Thailand is ready to become the hub of international education for the Asean community.
What are some of the changes you've seen across the years in international students?
The world is changing so fast and we need to be able to prepare kids to cope with that. Kids in the 21st century need to be very alert, adaptable, flexible and proactive or else they won't even be able to get a job. Today, there are situations like terrorism, Ebola, human trafficking and such. Back when I went to university, if someone said they had got into an environmental faculty, people would smirk and ask what you actually did. Today, things like sustainability and solar panels — things we've never talked about before — have become so crucial. Yet, academic excellence is not enough. We're looking at kids developing emotional and social skills too.
What is the current state of the international school industry in our country?
The reputation for international schools in Thailand is going up and we are top-notch in Asia. There are three to five new schools opening each year. Educators and investors are interested in the border areas, where more of our neighbours will be sending their children, whether from Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam or even China. I'm actually going to visit a new school that will open in Udon Thani in May, which will surely attract Lao and Cambodian kids. More schools are emerging in Chiang Rai, Phuket, Samui, Saraburi, Khon Kaen and Phitsanulok. This brings a lot of money into the country. Thailand is a very strategic place to become a business hub. Investors and expats are less reluctant to come here because they want the best schools for their children [and it's available]. For five years many people have said that the economy is on a downturn, yet the number of international schools has been going up.
In the past, sending your kid to an international school seemed like a glamorous option for the rich. Has that changed over the years?
International schools are not a place for rich kids who don't do much. Students study very hard and I really would like to clear away those misconceptions people usually have.
The demand for international schools is definitely there, while parents are also starting to want a different type of education for their kids. I'm not saying the Thai system isn't good enough, but due to the emergence of Asean, English is becoming a must and it may not even be enough any more for students. In the near future, they'll need to know a third or fourth language in order to become a global citizen.
Do you think there's such a thing as too many international schools?
I think the more the better. It means more choices for students and the greater the number, the more competition. The trend for new schools is they obviously need to work on their quality in order to keep their enrolment up. In education, no matter what system, it will always take time. Marketing usually comes from smaller schools trying to reach the top tier, while big and long-established schools hardly place any ads or do any marketing as they always have students enrolled.
How about the high fees and how do we compare with schools abroad?
It varies from school to school, but the range of tuition in our country is still a little bit cheaper, when compared to Jakarta, Manila or Singapore. Even when compared to tuition fees in the US, UK or Australia, we are still at a very reasonable range. The maximum here is around US$24,000 (782,000 baht) to US$26,000 [a year], but it goes up to US$30,000 in the US. Expat parents I talk to are very pleased to have many different educational systems here to choose from, be it British, American, International Baccalaureate, Swiss or whatnot.
What do you suggest between studying at an international school here or sending kids abroad?
When we have a strong international education here too, why would you send your kids away? College is a different matter, but if they are still in school, I strongly encourage parents to choose Thailand so they can still be with their kids and have family time. It keeps your family tight and there are many affordable choices today. Plus, we keep the money here. To choose the right one, I'd say talk and visit the school; don't just search on the internet. Look at the long term goals of where they want to study after that.
What are some things you wish the government could do to help support international schools?
Whatever doesn't make sense and hinders operations the government should just scrap. For example, bringing in one teacher to Thailand requires overcoming a lot of hurdles and procedures. These teachers are professionals, not backpackers or criminals. We wish the government could trust the private sector to operate and if someone abuses that, penalise them specifically, rather than creating regulations that affect the whole industry.
I also don't like the GED and IGCSE placements at all. We're not saying this because [the schools] will lose kids, but because we're worried about their lack of maturity and the lack of content in their heads when they join their older peers at university. It is particularly kids who go onto science or engineering degrees that suffer as they must take the extra load of tutoring to catch up with others. In the long-term, it's not just about the Ministry of Education's approval papers, but about how much you learn.
To mark Isat's 20th anniversary, on Feb 28 Prof Yong Zhao will be speaking at Siam Kempinski about the educational trends in the 21st century. This event is not open to the public. Visit www.isat.or.th for more.
Usa Somboon.
