secondary schools in HH?

[thaiger]

Hi, I'm planning to move to HH with my 8-year-old. Did some research on schools (www.expathuahin.com, thanks to HHAD!) and realized that schools are either free or cost quite a pretty penny - heard of Yamsaad but with enrollment fee and food aso it's about a hundred grand a year! Somtawin is around 80K a year. Last year I paid in my village here 34K for the english program, but it seems that there's nothing available for that kind of money in HH.
Need insider info, what's new, what's good... I don't know anything about HH schools.
Just by looking at the websites there's HH Vitthayalai School (10K/year) but Salesian?! - Matthayomsathukarn School and Darunsuksa School. What's the word on these? Reputation? Any child molesters or suicides? Just kidding! Well, a little bit.
I know that I have to check the schools out in person, have to have alook at the facilities, talk to the headmaster, the teachers and so on. But some advice from parents who have kids in school already would save me a lot of running around, and I have to find some housing, too...
Thanks in advance!

[Big Boy]

thaiger,

I have little personal knowledge, but I do pay for 2 granddaughters to attend Darunsuksa School. They are Thai children, but I know that my daughter is very pleased.

As usual, there are extras that can be paid for, but generally I find the costs very reasonable.

The 2 girls seem to be professing nicely, and I've always been impressed at the regular need to complete homework etc. To mind, the issuing of homework shows that the teacher cares.

My daughter chose the school because it was a little smaller than the others, and she believes the ratio of teachers to kids to be good. She has never had anything other than praise for the teaching staff.
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Who said, "I've dumped PAFC for Eutopia at Liecester?"
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[thaiger]

Thanks for your reply, Big Boy - that's what I'm looking for, first hand opinions from parents (or grandparents) who have kids in school and can tell if they're happy or not. How am I supposed to know just by looking at the facilities? And sometimes paying more doesn't mean you get more.
My "daughter" is Thai, I've been taking care of her for since she was 2 years old, now I'm a single parent. Funny thing is she has light skin and dark brown hair, looks like she's a "hapa", as they call mixed people in Hawaii - do they have a name for them here? Half-farang?
She's been in the English Program her: AC rooms, TV/video, farang teacher and most important the classes are limited to a max of 25 students. A teacher simply can't spend time with and check on each student if there are 40+ of them. Guess you have to pay close to 90K THB a year for that in Hua Hin.
Darunsuksa is about 6000 THB a year - I'd love to spend a bit more, looks like there's a big gap between 10K and 100K/year. Frankly I don't understand the pricing; a class of only 20 students at let's say 75K THB/year would generate 1.5 Million THB/year. Pay a teacher a salary of 50K/month, makes 600K/year, the school would have a budget of 900K/year PER CLASS - that'll take care of the electricity bill and the cleaning lady... or am I missing something?
Okay, one plus point for Darunsuksa - what about Somtawin, Vitthalayai and the others? Are there any parents out there with first hand info?

[Big Boy]

thaiger wrote:

[dtaai-maai]

Spelling? Someone will undoubtedly put the real thing up and then we'll all be buggered!

Yes, it's something like that - pronounced by most maybe as Loo(k) Keung...? 'Half child' is what I think it means literally,... or perhaps 'child and a half?' - either way it doesn't seem to make much sense!
_________________
Never argue with a man carrying a water buffalo...

[BaaBaa.]

Luk kreung (Thai: ลูกครึ่ง), literally "half child"

[thaiger]

"Hapa" sounds better!!
Managed to get to HH today without getting wet and went to the Education Department. Friendly people but limited english; the only school they recommended was Tessaban. Will have to get more info on that one later.
HH Vitthayalai, the Salesian, which was recommended by a local friend, was full. Off to "Darun", where I was told that there are three P3 classes already with more than 50 students each! Classes shouldn't have more than 25 students, in my opinion.
Next up is Sathukarn School, then Tessaban, but it's raining like hell now, I'll do that tomorrow.

[DawnHRD]

Forget Satukarn. My son goes there & if I had any more money than I do, he definitely wouldn't. Education level not particularly good (and dreadful for English). His teacher hits him for misdemeanours such as talking. And small classes? Don't exist.

Don't waste your shoe leather or tyre rubber. I'm seriously considering & researching home schooling him.
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[Big Boy]

thaiger wrote:

[Big Boy]

thaiger,

Very sorry for doubting you - you were correct, its 50 to a class at Darunsuksa. My daughter obviously has lower expectations than both of us.
_________________
Green Army position 10 2007/08
Who said, "I've dumped PAFC for Eutopia at Liecester?"
Ian Holloway (job seeker extrordanair)

[thaiger]

Well, 50+ kids in a class is hard to believe. But it just reflects the situation in Hua Hin - lots of growth and the infrastructure isn't keeping up.
Just found out that there isn't a school in HH that has AC (Yamsaad may be an exception being relatively new) but at Somtawin where one pays over 6K a month the students sit in noisy rooms with open windows and fans! Even in tiny Bang Saphan where I pay 34K/year for the English program there are small classes and rooms with AC.

[Hails]

Somtawin kinder classes have aircon, but above that they don't. I Taught there in 2006 and my 8yo daughter (farang) attended the school. Its the only school in HH with an English Programme, but sounds like you can't afford it... Can you teach there? Then the schooling will be free!

[Big Boy]

thaiger wrote:

[artistbea]

i cant say somtawin is a good school. there are many good teachers but they are undermined by a drunken fool of a head teacher. i dont know how anyone can send children to a school run by someone the students cant possibly respect if they have seen her in ***** ******* in her usual drunken state.

[HHTel]

Dawn, don't put up with your boy being physically punished in any way. For one, it is illegal and has been for around 8 years or more.

I had the same problem at Salesian. After a couple of letters threatening them with police action, I saw the headmaster who agreed that it shouldn't happen. He met with the teachers and laid down the law.

The next time it happened (and it did) my daughter went to the headmaster's office and he, along with my daughter, went to see the class teacher and made her apologise to my daughter. It appears to have tailed off now.

The problem is that Thai parents actually condone corporal punishment in schools so will never complain that their children get smacked.

If I was you, Dawn, I'd see the headmaster and point out the severity of smacking kids. If that doesn't work, then report the school to the education authority. You can even take action with the police and bring a charge of assault on the teacher concerned.

As I've said to the teachers, all the kids learn from smacking is that it's okay for big people to hit little people!!