Kids and all that

[spirit_of_town_hall]

Clickonline, mentioned a faceladder, I am very curious , for Thai ladies how important is this, and do they except rational argument that this whole face system is largely nonsense and often leads to people living beyond their means?

There are many many Thai traits which seem very positive such as tolerance and keeping ones temper.

I can also rationalise the "saving face" ie not wanting to look a fool, thats natural and a global trait, but the " face ladder" it is so self destructive and will always leave devotess of the "face ladder" wanting more and not being happy with their lot.

I am very interested in hearing how this effects farangs, who I presume are like most western males and would think it a waste of time and money, personally that is the very reason why Thai ladies and marriage are no good!

[Guest]

I just glanced over this thread and notice the Pensmith school mentioned:

My daughter went there for a time, but when I got time to look it over I pulled her out.

It is almost like a prision, at nite gates to the stair wells are locked, if there was a fire, I doub't if many would survive.

Also, the food served in the rec area. ( sold from carts) made her sick on several ocassions.

overall, it is probably typical of a thai run shool, pretty low standards, and just a way to extract $$ from parents that want the best for their kids ( or as some think, look like their kids are going to a good school)

also, avoid Didyasarin Int. school.

I paid for a semester/enrollment for my daughter to go there.

after the first week she was "treated poorly"

( in lew of stronger terms) by some of the staff and teachers.

when I complained, and asked for a refund of my nearly $5k usd. they basically said.

tough crud, the school is owned by a thai gov offical, and if we pressed the issue we would be the ones to suffer.

 

sorry for sounding off so strongly, but it still pisses me off after all these years.

..as a side note, be very leary of thai compaines/businesses ( when dealing with large payments) that will not take credit cards. and only want cash. they seem to be coooked

( imho) and don't want you to have any recourse or real proof of the transaction.

agin, sorry for loosing it today, but it gets my blood boiling when it is a personal issue.

[Guest]

Any one have feed back, info on Meanstours programme for sending thai students to aus or nz for a few months to study there?

 

I am considering it for my daughter, but since we are dealing with a thai "agent" I get an "uneasy" feeling about the whole thing.

My main concern is they want the money up front, in cash ( no credit cards/ hence no real kind of recorse for me if there is a problem)

 

Maybe I am overly suspicions, but I would like to hear from anyone about it.

[sinsin2]

'THE THAI EDUCATION SYSTEM SUCKS'

Sumalee Limpaovart looked and looked for her daughter's name. And looked again. It was nowhere to be found. She scanned the list one more time, her eyes running over the successful applicants to Bangkok's prestigious Kasetsart University Demonstration School - but her daughter's name wasn't there. Sumalee couldn't understand. She knew her child was easily smart enough to pass the entrance exam. Then she studied the names of those who had made the grade - the list read like a 1998 who's who of the Thai establishment.

Sumalee frowned. She had a pretty good idea of what was going on. But what was she supposed to tell her six-year-old daughter, Nattanit? That she wasn't clever enough to get into a good school? Or that Thailand rewards pedigree, while discouraging hard work and ability? Sorry, kid - that's life? One look at her downcast little girl told Sumalee she couldn't let this one lie. She'd have to fight the system. That wasn't as crazy as it sounds. Sumalee was a prosecutor, after all, and as a student had written a thesis on government power. Moreover, Thailand had just put in place an Official Information Act. Sumalee aimed to use the legislation to help get her daughter into the school and set a legal precedent for like-minded citizens.

First Sumalee requested that the school's dean release the test results. After fruitlessly waiting a month for his reply, she lodged a petition with the Official Information Commission. It was about that time that the mud-slinging began. People opposed to having their kids' test results made public began putting pressure on authorities and denigrating Sumalee - accusing her of starting trouble because her daughter had failed.

Finally Sumalee got a peek at the results - only to find she still wasn't being told the truth. Officials provided the registration numbers and answer sheets of the 120 successful candidates, but no names, plus a list of candidates with no registration numbers. "This made it impossible to establish which scores belonged to which candidates," she recalls. Still, the exercise wasn't entirely useless. Poring over the lists, Sumalee spotted a strange phenomenon. While school officials had insisted that her daughter had scored one point below a pass, 38 of the "successful" candidates had failed to make the passing grade. Now she had some ammunition.

Back to the information commission. This time, the authorities forced the school to release a list with matching names and scores. Sumalee and other interested parents assessed the results: All 38 children who had failed but still been accepted came from leading political and business families. While Sumalee had come to expect this, she was still shocked. Later she sat down with a teacher who explained that rich parents donate money to the school - sometimes cars and computers. If it had been a private institution, Sumalee might have swallowed the excuse, but Kasetsart is financed by taxpayers - "so all people have a right to study there."

Epilogue: Sumalee, now 39, had scored a personal victory in getting access to the files. But powerful people are still fighting to maintain the status quo. Sumalee is scornful. "The Thai education system sucks. It relies on favoritism." As for her daughter, Nattanit, she now attends a private school, where the faculty allowed Sumalee to see the entrance-exam results.

Asia Week March 2000.

[Guest]

Based on my own teaching experience and years of listening to different stories from students and other foreign teachers, most of the schools with a good reputation often don't deserve such renown. There are also many international schools that are basically Thai owned and Thai run that are not any better than the average private school.

I am going out on a bit of a limb here, but I believe that schools in TL are pretty much the same, the only real difference is the name and the amount you have to pay. I am not speaking about international schools, but about the difference between private and government schools. Rich Thais pay big bucks to send their kids to a school where their kids will be friends with other rich kids. Also, private schools are usually better equiped and have nicer gardens than government schools--appearance is important. And private schools also tend to employ farang teachers. BUT I do not believe there is better instruction going on than at government schools. At the end of the day, your son or daughter can get the same quality of education at a government or private school. In fact, I find the government schools are better organized and help prepare kids for the Thai entrance exams. They are also much cheaper. Your kids will just have to learn with poorer kids.

But for non-Thai kids learning in TL... Some parents I know send their kids to cheaper private schools. But others feel it is best to stick with an international school or a school with an international/English program. Many people have already mentioned some schools on this thread. I would suggest going at the end of the school day and talk to other parents. Don't just listen to the propaganda you will be fed by the school admin. Insist on seeing the school facilities and ask about the teachers' qualifications and other important questions regarding the school. Especially ask to see their curriculum, worksheets, course books, etc. If they cannot produce these things--the school is highly suspect! Many private schools do not even have clear curriculum guidelines or text books!

Thai parents often decide which school to send their kids to based on the rep of the school, how suay the school looks and the kind of economic/social groups that their child will be hanging around with. Farang should hopefully consider the quality of education, but, sad to say, there is not much quality in this country.

Good luck making a very difficult choice. I wish I had a particular school to recommend to you but I honestly feel they are about the same.

[ August 13, 2001: Message edited by: KhunK ]

[sinsin2]

http://www.childresearch.net/CYBRARY/EVISION/2001/ASIA/ASIA03.HTM

http://www.chiangmai.ac.th/abstract1998/Abstract/edu/index.html

Some links on Thai Education.