Bangkok--27 Oct--VERO PR
As interest in private education continues to grow among Thai families, representatives from boarding schools across the United States and Canada will return to Bangkok next month to meet with children and families at the 20th annual Tour of Asia hosted by The Association of Boarding Schools (TABS).
The fair, open to the public, takes place Tuesday, November 4, 2014, at 18.30 p.m. – 20.30 p.m., Ballroom 1, Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok. Admission is free of charge.
“There is a tradition that goes back generations among some elite Thai families in sending their children to the U.S. or Canada for boarding school. The grandparents went to boarding school, the parents went and now the grandchildren are going,” said Annie Lundahl, TABS Director of Marketing. “In recent years, we are seeing more and more families in Thailand establish their own traditions in sending their children to boarding school. Boarding school is a wonderful way for any family with the available resources to give their children the best possible start in life.”
Education is a vital export for the United States and Canada. Many people in Asia see a U.S. college degree as the path to success — and an American high school as the doorway. In the current academic year, almost 42,845 students from China, South Korea, India, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam attend U.S. private high schools, according to the Department of Homeland Security, up from 27,235 in 2008.
Thai families view private US high schools as an avenue for their children to enter Ivy Leagues and a path toward career success. Parents believe that the short-term challenges of attending boarding school in a foreign country, such as culture shock and language barriers, are worth the long-term rewards that come with a first-class education.
“One really attractive aspect of boarding school is that it is a stepping stone to a good university,” said Sawitree Chantarikanond, an entrepreneur with business interests in Thailand and the ASEAN region who is contemplating boarding school for her two sons. “We are thinking about this for our sons as we want them to attend university in the U.S.
The Association of Boarding Schools (TABS) is the public voice for college-preparatory boarding schools and the central resource for boarding school education. TABS serves roughly 300 boarding schools across the United States, Canada, and abroad. Serving as a bridge between schools and students, we actively support the needs of boarding schools themselves, and provide information and insight to families about the benefits of a boarding school environment. To this end, TABS hosts an annual conference, a series of workshops for school administrators and staff, publishes an annual magazine / directory, and hosts this website, www.boardingschools.com.
Media Contacts:
Banyong Homoab, Kwansakul Piromkraipak
Vero Public Relations / 0 2684 1551-2 Ext. 17, 18
[email protected],
[email protected]