Costs for such schools can be extremely high and the consequences of a poor choice in schools can affect a child’s ability to enter a good university and job prospects for decades. In fact, choosing an international school, if one can be afford such luxury, is one of the most important decisions a parent will make for their child.
At best, “International” is included to reflect the school’s standing as a real international school. At worst, it is included in hopes of reaping high profits. So as to be fair to all those involved, it should be assumed that “International” is included because of its association with quality education.
Aside from the nominal aspects, identifying a school’s worth should come from a few different factors – none more important that its accreditation.
Recognised international schools need to be accredited and there are a few well-established accreditation organisations. These include, but are not limited to, Council for British Teachers (CfBT), Council of International Schools (CIS), New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) and Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC).
Another indication of an international school’s standing is its membership within the International Schools Association of Thailand (ISAT). While ISAT doesn’t oversee any school’s curriculum, member schools are required to hold valid accreditation, or at the least, they must be actively applying for it.
A search over ISAT’s website yields results of five schools on Phuket.
Phuket itself has the Phuket Association of International Schools (PAIS) and the group meets periodically to discuss matters related to international schooling in Phuket. Members include British International School (BISP), HeadStart International School (HSIS), Konjonkiet International School (KIS), Quality Schools International (QSI), Rawai Progressive International School (RPIS) and Phuket International Academy Day School (PIADS).
Although the group requires schools to be licensed as an international school with the Thai MoE, which itself requires an inspection of the campus and a review of its curriculum, the group has no legal standing.
Aside from the schools mentioned above, there are no fewer than nine other schools on Phuket that include “International” in the name. Many of these schools have websites that don’t list accreditation or membership to any association of international schools.
It has also been suggested that some of these schools may be registered as day care centres, which are the responsibility of Thailand’s Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, not the MoE.
While it would be unfair to judge the quality of education that these schools provide, it would be wise for parents to look into each school’s accreditation, legal status, official registration, not to mention its entire system of education.
Parents pay out considerable amounts of money for their children’s private education, sometimes making difficult personal sacrifices in order to do so. The least educators can do is offer transparency, honesty and accountability.
A teacher trainer at TEFL Campus and Phuket resident since 2004, Eric welcomes all questions regarding teaching English in Phuket at: info@teflcampus.com