Catholic Schools in Thailand

[Stickman]

School fees in Thailand do seem very high. In my native NZ, high school fees for a year, in a country that is acknowledged as having a very good high school system, are about $NZ 9,000 a year, funnily enough, that is just a little over 160,000 baht. Where would you send your child? (Though there would be a lot of other costs to send a child to NZ, not just he 160K school fees.)

[Ashman]

I worked in a catholic school for over a year in Bangkok in the English language program.

The fees are 160,000 baht per year for each student and there are close to five hundred students in this section.

The whole school has almost six thousand in attendance. The fee in the Thai section is forty thousand. In this part of the school the students are sixty to a class and get taught parrot fashion by old-fashioned Thai teachers who should have been put out to pasture long ago. They all study in un-air-conditioned classrooms.

Because the school is named after a Christian saint they are guaranteed a place in University and the pass rate is 100 %.

In the English Language program some of the students are almost fluent in English while others have a problem spelling their own name. There is obviously no entrance exam. All subjects apart from Thai and social are in English. Each year the pass rate is 100 %. I f any students fail an exam they are given an easier version, if they fail this they pass anyway. There is obvious corruption going on here. I heard about massive under the table payments.

How do Christians get away with this in a non-Christian country?

[ August 25, 2001: Message edited by: Ashman ]

[ August 25, 2001: Message edited by: Ashman ]

[Flashermac]

Guaranteed university entrance? In what, ABAC? (Which happens to be Catholic run too.) NOBODY gets a free ticket to the top government universities, which are by competitive exam. Something like 200,000 students nationwide test for the government universities each year. Around 5,000 get in. Private universities are another matter. Most folks who go to them are those who failed to get into the government unis.

Some students just opt for the private unis rather than go through the trauma of the govmt entrance exams.

p.s. I've taught Chinese-Thai nuns in evening classes. Most of them are like nuns were in the west 50 years ago, not exactly a fun loving bunch. More the beat the cr*p out of the students type.

p.p.s. One notable exception to the govmt uni admissions: members of the royal family. But there are very few of them and they have been excellent students as well.

[Guest]

NOBODY gets a free ticket to the top government universities, which are by competitive exam.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

There was a woman that took the Universities to court when her daughter failed to get into a top Uni. The Uni refused to give out a list of who scored what. She took them to court and the court ruled they had to release the list. 10 or so of the accepted students had scored much less than the girl in question, much lower than the pass mark and got in purely because of who they were.

i believe the girl in question had passed and lost her place to a well placed daddy dictating to the Uni.

[whosyourdaddy]

Originally posted by whosyourdaddy:

[QB]I worked at a well known catholic school in thailand for 2 terms when I arrived in Bkk. My g/f also teachers there

At this school...

For kindergarden tuition is 13,200 for one term. Bor 1-6 10000 and Matayum- 9000+ depending on section.

Even the top Satit schools are only 10000 but again they are goverment schools

100% ?? Naa. But they are well recognized schools.

This year Tri-umdom suksa only 40 students into Mor 4 from the school I worked. Since ALL students want to go there I dont think this is 100%.

A name is everything in Thailand. I failed a student last year along with some other teachers in my current school. but since this kid graduated from out school in an international section, he graduated and got into THE top high school in thailand. HMMM. it is all where you graduated from.

[Flashermac]

Hey, Rictic ... that was a university demonstation school (Kasertsart, if I remember right). And the woman's daughter was trying to get into Pratom 1 = first grade! Turns out the university was indeed holding places for the children of faculty members and prominent graduates. There was a big stink about it last year, and the uni finally gave in. Kindly note it was the school attached to the uni, NOT admissions to the university as an undergaduate. But Kasetsart has a primary and secondary school attached which is noted for teaching a modern style programme, i.e. thinking rather than memorisation

p.s. Kasetsart's not that high on the pecking order anyway. It's the uni most prospective students place as their last choice when they sit the entrance exams. (You list your choices 1 through 5. #1 is almost always Chula or Thammasat.)

[Flashermac]

WYD, the international (i.e. English language) programmes at Chula, Thammasat, Mahidol etc are NOT subject to the entrance exams that students take for the Thai language programmes. I know there are plenty of students who get into name schools this way who would not have the slightest chance of getting in through the regular competitive entrance exams. Plus since some of the programmes are fairly new (e.g. BBA at Chula or British-American Studies at Thammasat)there really isn't that much competition to get in. Now the students still have to work to stay in, but getting in isn't all that difficult.

I've taught students in international programmes who admitted to me that they have flunked out of other unis. They were the "spoilt brat" ISB or Ruamruedee types, whose rich daddy had no time for them..

[whosyourdaddy]

quote:

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Originally posted by Flashermac:

WYD, the international (i.e. English language) programmes at Chula, Thammasat, Mahidol etc are NOT subject to the entrance exams that students take for the Thai language programmes.

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Ahh explains a lot. There are a few kids that are really not up to par for our program. Now I know why there parents keep them in it. Ive been bitching for years to get some pupils moved into a thai program since the English program is killing them. Explains a lot. thanks