Best Burapha School Pattaya
Oct 10th, 2007 | By Admin1 | Category: Pattaya schools, ThailandSeems like a mass exodus is underway from Best Burapha School Pattaya.
Like many other parents we are pulling our two sons from this school due to their constant refusal to deal with the issue of Thai teachers hitting kids (I would point out the farang teachers do NOT do this to the best of my knowledge).
It happens on a daily basis despite it now being illegal in Thai Schools, let alone International ones.
My own kids have had two experiences.
The first was my eldest. He suddenly went from a happy kid to not wanting to go to school and when we questioned him he told us he was scared of the teachers. His previous school was in England where he had never experienced, or seen, any form of corporal punishment. Further questioning led to the discovery that he had not been hit himself but that other kids in her class were hit by Thai teachers on a regular basis.
I asked for a meeting with the Principal. This was refused but I was offered a meeting with the (Farang) Assistant to the Principal.
At this meeting I explained that when I had entered my kids to the school I had been given a guarantee that corporal punishment was not used at Best Burapha School Pattaya. His response was very apologetic but he accepted that the Thai teachers DID resort to “hitting” despite them being told repeatedly that it was unacceptable.
I was assured that action would be taken to deliver the message again to the Thai teachers that hitting was unacceptable.
Two months later my 3 year old came home in tears and told us that his friend had been hit by a teacher and he was clearly VERY distressed.
This time I demanded to see the principal with the teacher concerned present. This appointment was granted. When I arrived the principal was there but the teacher was not – she had sent a “representative” in her place.
I asked the principal what action would be taken against the teacher and he replied “there would be none as in his view hitting kids was OK”!!!??
I pointed out that not only was it illegal now in Thailand but that on TWO different occasions we had been given guarantees that it would not occur.
I told him the meeting was over and he just laughed at me.
I would like to finish by saying that I DO understand that some parents are OK with this kind of behaviour and I am not for one minute trying to preach to them. My personal view is that it is unacceptable, little more that institutional bullying.
The point is that a guarantee should be exactly that – not some kind of mealy mouthed promise to gain entrants!
Since these two incidents we have learned of at least 12 other sets of parents removing their children from Best Burapha for the same reason. I doubt the 12 we know about are the only ones. One of these parents is the head of the foreign section of the Thai Police which says a lot.
If you are considering sending your children to Best Burapha School Pattaya you should be aware of their breaches of policy regardless of your attitude to smacking kids.
My daughter has been going to BEST Burapha schools since she was 2 years old in the nursery, now she is 8 and loves the school , she has never been hit by any teachers unless she was extremely naughty , she is a well behaved and very adventurous child , confident and intelligent although some Thai teacher leave a bit to be desired in their abilities my daughter accepts some punish ment is realistic.
My Thai wife’s son was however hit often in a Thai state school for getting the answers right and embarrassing the ingorant teachers .
My wife would go down and seriously make the teachers loose face,in the state school but she thinks BEST is good .
__________________
Good points John. I am pleased to hear your daughter hasn’t been hit but if you ask her if it “happens” I am sure she will reply “yes, every day to other kids”.
My boy was distressed because he saw ANOTHER kid smacked (3 years old remember) and I personally don’t want him educated in a “fearful” environment regardless of his own personal behaviour.
As I said I do accept that some parents are OK about it. I happen to think its wrong and that’s my personal view only. Those parents pulling their kids feel as I do and again its a matter of personal choice.
My POINT however is that they give a “guarantee” that it doesn’t happen, take your money, then renege on that promise.
Having looked around, Satit is a far better school with vastly superior facilities at very minimal extra cost, plus you GET the cast iron guarantee there is no corporal punishment.
Where I think BEST has an advantage is that lessons are 50/50 Thai and English whereas Satit is 70% in English.
Satit at this point is unproven, and since foreign teachers now have to have a four year degree in addition to the Tefl certificate, it has been very dificult to find good foreign teachers.
Barry
Satit is not “unproven” as a school, although I accept the new English Programme is.
I understand several teachers from other local schools, including BEST, have been recruited but I agree that only time will tell.
What is not in doubt is that the Satit school has far better facilities including a car park and sports field which BEST have just lost due to their unwillingness to pay a minimal rental fee for the land behind the school.
Car parks and sports fields don’t educate kids but BESTs reluctance to invest in these speaks volumes for many people – just read the thread about this at Thai Visa. As many parents seem to be leaving over this matter as the one I originally raised.
I have just removed my daughter from BEST as the school year has just finished.
In addition to the stories mentioned here you can also read others on various websites and blogs by simply doing a Google search for Best Burapha School. So many concerned parents cannot be coincidence or mistaken.
My daughter was never smacked but she did tell us it was a common occurrence, usually for getting homework wrong, and always from Thai teachers. We did however have first hand experience of a (Thai) teacher drinking alcohol in the classroom.
The final straw was the huge hike in fees at the end of the year. As she was moving up a level too the fees went from 55,000 a year to 105,000 a year. Her class had 24 pupils and only 6 are returning next year due to this. If that figure of 75% departing is across the board they have clearly shot themselves in the foot badly.
Of the 18 leaving 10 applied to Maryvit and only 2 managed to pass the entrance exam. That is not conclusive in any way but does say a lot to me. The only entrance criteria BEST ever applied was an ability to pay.
[...] Best Burapha School Pattaya [...]
I am very concerned about this school. My two children are there and always come home with stories about Thai teachers hitting children. One time, my son tells me, that a Thai male teacher got a headlock on a farang student and started punching him.
Also I would have thought that with the increase in fees they could afford to pay for their web site but it has now been removed!
I am now looking for another school for my children.
Chris
Chris
Their website is back now. I am hearing more and more horror stories but the good news is they have been hit where it really hurts them with the mass exodus at the end of last term. With s little luck they will have learned that lying doesn’t pay.
Its fair enough for John to say his daughter is never hit, and I am grateful for that, but the sheer number of incidents we are being told about rather add weight to the fact that it DOES.
My own mind was made up when the head teacher LAUGHED at my protests and told me to my face that as far as he was concerned hitting kids was OK.