Education is critical to the development of a nation. That is the mantra of Taya Teepsuwan, one of the founders of Rugby School Thailand, who hopes her international school can make a difference in society by setting a standard.
Mrs Taya feels she made a difference in some respects as deputy Bangkok governor in charge of education, tourism, sports, foreign affairs, community development and public relations. But education offers the chance to mould young minds when they are more impressionable.
The initial year for the facility, the first overseas sister school of the 450-year British institution, started this September.
The school offers 15 different years of education, opening with 145 students, but Rugby School Thailand will eventually be able to accommodate roughly 1,250 pupils.
“There are several international schools in Thailand, but I really believe our space is what differentiates us from our competitors,” she says. “Spread over 190 rai out of 1,400 rai in Bang Lamung district of Chon Buri province, we call the area ‘Wisdom Valley’.”
“The campus is surrounded by mountains, as we believe kids need to be close to nature and spend time outdoors. The quality of life there is different to Bangkok, in part because we offer both day and boarding school. We make sure the children don’t have too much screen time from an early age, and they are not stuck in traffic like in Bangkok. We pack in a lot of activities and the day finishes at 6pm, not 3.30pm as with other schools. Our schedule allocates enough time for study, music, homework as well as sports and activities.”
Taya Teepsuwan, CEO Rugby School Thailand
Mrs Taya participated in sporting activities growing up and is convinced they help develop character.
The campus features five man-made lakes, a bicycle track and several football fields.
“We believe in the value of a British education. My husband and I saw the benefits of that education as we sent our children abroad to study in British boarding schools,” she says.
“Every child is different, but with a broad focus on education, sports, music and drama, we hope we can
enable each child to grow up to be a whole person. The teachers live on-site and really get to know the students; they know their strengths and weaknesses and can work with them individually.
“Thai parents believe in a good brand name: they want to send their kids to a school that can deliver values and fulfil dreams for students.”
Mrs Taya and her husband embarked on an exhaustive study to find the UK boarding school they wish to partner. They settled on 14 candidates and went to make presentations to them, receiving offers from all 14.
“A lot of UK schools go to Asia to get more brand value and awareness. But we wanted a school’s expertise and involvement,” she says.
“We were impressed with Rugby School because they wanted to create a great school in Asia. They weren’t overly concerned with the licensing fee. They are eager to share their teaching methodologies and philosophy with us.
We will have teacher and student exchange programme with the school in the UK. Once per term an administrator comes to Thailand to check on the school’s progress.”
Mrs Taya realises with the small size of an international school, it is unlikely to make a large impression on Thai society, but she feels small gestures can go a long way in changing people’s attitudes.
“One small step is to improve the curriculum and share it with othefr schools. Another is for each international school in Thailand, of which there are more than 200, to wfork with two to three low-income schools here on teacher exchange or donating resources. Those small steps actually can make a big difference,” she says. “I saw it when I was deputy governor overseeing 438 schools in Bangkok.”
“Rugby School in Britain is in the top five for offering scholarships to underprivileged children, and we want to continue that tradition here. We have offered over 10% of our income towards our first-year scholarship programme. Low-income students who have talent will have an opportunity to study at our school on a scholarship.
“Running a school is a long-term commitment. From a financial point of view, you will not see a return for several years. But we have already seen parents ecstatic about the difference we have made in their child’s life, and that is quite rewarding.”
“For students whose parents can afford tuition, we hope they will learn how to share and see how other people live. We hope they will learn to live together.”
“When I was deputy governor, we did a lot of community outreach programmes, and I always brought my children with me when I could, to show them how lucky they were and that they can give back to other families in the community. Now we go together to talk to staff and teachers, as I really want this to be a family affair.”
The project’s price tag is 1.8 billion baht and it is 40% finished. Some 18 buildings are ear-marked for the school, with plans for four additional basketball courts, an Olympic-sized swimming pool, a rock climbing wall, tennis courts, camping and trekking activities in the surrounding mountains, and an organic farm, as the school is keen on sustainability. To that end, the school just reached a deal with a Banpu energy company to supply solar rooftops for the buildings, in part because Mrs Taya wants to teach the students about clean energy.
She says she feels lucky that Rugby School Thailand was able to find a founding headmaster with 30
years’ experience in the British academic system. This ensured the school was able to get the cream of the teaching crop, with 700 applicants for 17 teaching positions.
The school is located about 90 minutes’ drive from Bangkok on land her father-in-law had been accumulating for years. In addition to the sports facilities, Teepsuwan family has dreams of developing programmes for athletic training and residential project not related to the school campus but at Wisdom Valley land.
“Thailand doesn’t really have good standards for athletics development. We hope our facilities can change that,” she says.
Of course the sport of rugby got its name from the British school, where in 1823 legend has it William
Webb Ellis decided to make up his own rules, picking up the football and running with it.
Mrs Taya has a dash of Ellis’ spirit in her, as displayed through her passion for education.
“If you want to change the big picture in Thailand, you can do that through schooling. You just have to be willing to play the long game.” Further information, please visit www.rugbyschool.ac.th