This may perhaps be of interest to some of you out there. I plan to go, if nothing else, just to reinforce my prejudices against English teachers....

Teacher's Pet - Foreign Teachers in Thailand's Schools

Tuesday, September 12 at 8.00 pm
Cover charge for non-members: 250 Baht

Last month's arrest of John Mark Karr, the US teacher with a troubled
past, sent shock waves through Thailand's foreign teaching community.
Even though Karr turned out to be a fantasist, not the monster of
tabloid news headlines, his case has shone a spotlight on hiring
practices at Thailand's private schools. Karr's teaching license was
suspended in 2002 after he fled child-pornography charges in
California. But he was able to travel around the world and teach young
children, finally moving to Bangkok where he was hired and fired by two
prestigious schools. He had started teaching at another private school
just days before his detention.

In the wake of this high-profile case, Thai educational officials have
called for stricter standards in the hiring and supervision of foreign
teachers. According to the Ministry of Education, Thailand currently
has around 7,000 foreign teachers. But that excludes those who teach
privately or work at schools that flout the labor laws by hiring
foreigners on tourist visas. It's notable that Karr began teaching in
Thailand without a work permit. The rapid expansion of international
schools in Thailand has created a boom in English-language instruction,
but who's keeping an eye on the teachers? Should we be worried by the
threat of pedophiles in Thai schools? Is it really feasible to screen
every foreign hire?

To explore this thorny issue, the FCCT has invited two distinguished
speakers to address the club. We will also hear from a member of the
foreign teaching community in Thailand at the center of this debate.

* Jakrapop Penkhair, deputy secretary-general to the prime minister and
a policy advisor on educational standards, including the hiring of
foreign teachers;

* Mark Hensman, general secretary of the International Schools
Association of Thailand, and headmaster of Harrow International School

* Linda Neuman, a licensed preschool teacher at Keera-Pat International
School, which operates on an American curriculum.

Please join us for a night of frank and lively debate at the FCCT.

Foreign Correspondents' Club of Thailand
Penthouse, Maneeya Center Building
518/5 Ploenchit Road (connected to the BTS Skytrain Chit Lom station by Skybridge)
Patumwan, Bangkok 10330
Phone: 02-652-0580-1
Web site: FCCT - The Foreign Correspondents' Club of Thailand
E-mail: [email protected]