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International Education
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After-school trips to the department store, the nervous excitement of Saturday morning bus rides to sporting fixtures, midnight vigils to friends' rooms to madly discuss all things important to a teenager, Sunday evening barbecues with ice-cream…these are some of my fondest memories of boarding school. As precious as these episodes of my life are, I rarely think of them, it was only during a visit to Dulwich International College that they all came surging back. |
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While boarding school is certainly not for everyone, I loved every day of it; being around my friends constantly, the juvenile thrill of being away from my parents and of being responsible for myself. Unlike my school friends who were day students, at the age of thirteen I was balancing my own spending budget and washing and ironing my own clothes all within the context of a very large, ongoing slumber party. Going to school to broaden my mind was just a part of everyday life, except the walk only lasted two minutes and I never walked alone. Founded in 1996, Dulwich International College (DIC) has quickly achieved a steadfast reputation as one of the leading schools in the South East Asian region. The college offers a British and International curriculum to children of any nationality from 18 months to 18 years of age, from pre-school to pre-university, leading to examinations in IGCSE and the International Baccalaureate Diploma (IB). The college enjoys close and productive ties to the eminent, 400-year old Dulwich College, London that affords a valuable student teacher exchange programme and annual school evaluations. Master of Dulwich, Mr. Graham Able, annually visits the Phuket school to ensure that all aspects of the institute are running to the high standards that the Dulwich name demands. Along with this prestigious name, DIC, a leading member of FOBISSEA, COBISEC and ISAT, is accredited by the World Education Services, is an I. B World School, an associate member of ECIS and is affiliated to the Boarding Schools Association. Readers with knowledge of international educational bodies and standards will appreciate that association with these groups is rather impressive.
The student population of approximately 750 children represents almost 40 different nationalities and almost half of these students are boarders. Any person who has experienced boarding school will appreciate the need to develop, within the school campus, two distinct feelings; that of school and of home. Mr. Graham Dewey, DIC's Marketing Director, described the appeal of the Dulwich boarding programme. "The boarding programme runs seven-days a week. We try hard to make the students' environment feel like home…and school. On the weekends, it is not a case of utter boredom. Just like at home, the students are given a wide selection of activities to choose from. We organize sporting tournaments, shopping expeditions to Tesco, Big C, or Robinson, go to the beaches and use the facilities on the island. We plan culture trips, evening barbecues, disco and shows. Of course the children have free time to watch television and play games but with the youngsters, getting them involved is important to help them adjust. "With all these excursions and activities, perhaps this home-away-from-home is even better than the real thing! Boarding students live in bright, cheerful rooms in comfortable, well designed houses located just a short walk from the main teaching buildings and they enjoy full access to all the state-of-the-art sporting and creative facilities on campus. Each single-sex house is supervised by an experienced team comprised of expatriate house parents, house tutors and a house matron, who are dedicated to providing security, nursing and parental guidance to children around the clock.
Settling into boarding school is a big step for children and parents. Graham said, "it can be tough but the children help each other and they end up having fun. We accept boarders from year 4, eight years old, but there are not so many of these students. For eight and nine year olds, it is a big decision for the parents and generally arises out of necessity. Strangely, some kids are "under-whelmed"when they come here. They are used to the city life, to sitting around in traffic jams and meeting their friends at the shopping mall. The first few weeks here seem a bit boring, but they soon realize that the quality of existence is better and life still goes on beyond the end of school with sport, music, socializing. It is a very good life and they love it. " A reversal in what Graham termed as the "Thai brain-drain"means that many Thai families are opting to send their children to quality international schools in Thailand rather than abroad and with the increasing costs of living in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore, more and more expatriate families are moving to the peace, beauty and affordability of Phuket. These factors combine to make Dulwich International College a highly prized inclusion on Phuket's list of attractions. Graham commented, "we are getting families moving to the island from Hong Kong and that is quite interesting because we are working with some of the Phuket property fairs. We went over to Hong Kong as part of the property show last year and some people said that we were the catalyst for some families' decisions. " Despite this resounding reputation and demand from within the region, Dulwich promises not to let the popularity go to its head. "We do not want to set ourselves up as some kind of huge, city campus, so we are looking at about the 900 - 950 mark and that will be all we will take. That would enable us to have a vibrant community and still maintain what makes us work, and that is the depth and quality of the relationships around the school. In their assessment of the school, WES really hit on that as being one of the key factors of the school's success. The relationships between teachers, between students and between teachers and students all contribute to a caring and active school environment. "
Currently two new boarding houses are being built to house the inevitable growth in the boarding programme. " We expect that when we reach the 900-950 level we will have approximately 60% boarding students. At the moment, what is especially nice, is the international mix we are getting with the boarding students, particularly among the older students because of our IB programme. " Another factor that influences parents in their decisions to entrust DIC with their childrens' education, is the existence of the International Baccalaureate Diploma, or IB programme. The IB is an internationally regarded qualification, which is widely accepted by the majority of universities worldwide is actually, highly sought after by universities around the world, as it is regarded as a much more thorough preparation for undergraduate study than A-levels. Graham expanded, "The International Baccalaureate students study six subjects; 2 languages, mathematics, science, a humanity and a sixth subject of their choice. In addition, they must complete a 4000-word piece of original research and undertake a course in the Theory of Knowledge. The heart of the programme is called CAS, Community Action Service and here students must undertake some kind of community project, for example, visiting and helping in schools or hospitals, conducting beach clean ups, anything the students can think of. "Within the competitive realm of university admission boards, where entrance to some courses can come down to contributory issues like extra-curricular activity and community involvement, a course like the IB exudes obvious merit. As I giggled around a school tour with Graham, I saw groups of children participating in an English Summer camp programme, their shining eyes reflecting the same scenes of joyful mischief that I was recollecting.
The tour continued to the grounds revealing a colorful, peaceful setting, surrounded by green fields and rolling hills, well off the main road. It was quiet, but only because the school term had just ended, otherwise I imagined, the giggling, squealing, laughing, clapping, booing, chewing, cheering scene of a busy school playground equipped with the essential facilities of swings, football fields, shady trees and plenty of space to run around. DIC also conducts summer programmes; an English Summer Camp and a Sports and Adventure Camp from 6 July to 2 August 2003. The Sports and Adventure Camp offers team, individual and water sports in addition to thrilling adventure activities such as rock climbing, horse-riding, mountain-biking, go-karting and paint-balling within a schedule of fun creative and social events like beach parties, drama, art and music classes, even Thai cooking. To obtain further information about these camps or about any of Dulwich International College's programmes, |
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Tropical Living: May 2003, Volume 2 Issue 12 |
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