Prem International School
IB Schools in Asia – International Baccalaureate Thailand
The International Baccalaureate is recognised by universities in almost all countries and is often considered superior to the highest level of school diploma available, including the state schools GPA system in the US and GCE A Levels in Britain. As of 2007, 2,075 schools in 125 countries are presently offering the IB diploma. In Asia IB schools are becoming increasingly popular since the cost of this premium level education is far more affordable.
Thailand has positioned itself as one of the most popular places in Asia to obtain an International Baccalaureate education, since it offers the best combination of a safe environment, good value quality schooling, central location and pleasant living environment. There are 14 schools offering the IB in Thailand, almost all of them in the Bangkok area. However, very few of these offer boarding facilities or a campus safe from the distractions of a large city.
One of the more popular IB schools in Asia for parents who choose to send their children away from home is the Prem Tinsulanonda Center for International Education in Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand. This pleasant city is easily accessible via international flight connections and offers a nice environment for study and the expat families who are increasingly settling there. The school has comfortable boarding apartments on a lovely facility-rich campus, and thus has become a good choice if no International Baccalaureate program is offered nearer your base in Asia. The school is also close enough to Chiang Mai to cater for its majority day students, as well as some weekly boarders.
Accredited by the International Baccalaureate Organisation since 2002, the school has more than 470 students from some 37 countries, making it a truly international environment. Most of the schools in Asia offering IB programs lack the international peer group status that some parents expect when choosing an educational environment. The Prem Center has created a school and facilities that lend themselves well to the IB program’s emphasis on personal development, including community programs. Set in a lovely rural environment, the Prem Center has modern facilities such as a world class library, sports fields, indoor gym, large pool and golf and tennis academies. There is also emphasis on the arts and creative elements of education.
The International Baccalaureate Diploma Program in brief
The IB Diploma Program differs significantly from conventional education curricula offered in other countries, in that it focuses on the individual’s personal development, and growth in their ability to ‘self learn’. Central to this is the Theory of Knowledge course, the CAS (creativity, action, service) extracurricular activities, and Extended Essay (EE) which students are expected to complete before being awarded their diploma. Furthermore, a second language is compulsory as one of the five core subject groups.
The program comprises several individual subjects which students (and their parents) choose from within five compulsory subject groups (one from each). A sixth subject can be chosen from any of these, or a sixth non-compulsory category of Arts and Electives. At least three subjects must be taken at higher level (HL) and the other subjects to standard level (SL).
The five compulsory subject groups are: Language A1; Language A2 or second language; Humanities; Sciences; and Mathematics. Final exams are written in May (in Thailand), and a minimum score of 24 out of 45 should be achieved to pass (where 7 points are awarded per subject, plus 3 for the extended essay). Two or three final exams are set for each subject.
Typically students passing their IB certificate have little difficulty getting into prestigious universities around the world.
More on the Prem Centre
More on the International Baccalaureate
The International Baccalaureate Organisation
