Reading Dr Nunthiwat's vision made me think that this is just the kind of school my mother and father would have liked me to attend (if they'd had the money of course). Modern, air-conditioned classrooms, a state of the art computer lab, and the guarantee that there would only be 29 other kids in the class to bully me. Although currently resembling half-school half-construction site, it's clear to see that this is going to be one impressive place when it opens its doors in May 2004 to hordes of parents eager to provide the best possible start in life for their kids. "May I come and have a chat and make a general nuisance of myself" I asked the charming Doctor. "Sure" he replied "I can spare you an hour between 11.00 and 12.00" I was truly honored. When you take out the time Dr Nunthiwat spends serving on committees, rallying the academic troops, and staying involved in every aspect of the school's development, it's a wonder the man finds time to sleep.

Armed only with a basic map of the school's location (lifted from the Daroonpat website) it must be said that the school is not the easiest place to find. It also tends to hinder matters if your taxi driver's knowledge of Bangkok can best be described as minimal. After asking for directions no fewer than six times, the driver pulled up outside a school and with a triumphant "here we are", pushed me out of the door and drove off at high speed. I then spent ten minutes wandering around various school corridors and poking my head in busy offices and noisy classrooms (much to the amusement of the mathayom students) and asking if anyone knew Dr Nunthiwat. After the sixth member of staff had shaken their head at me, I played my trump card - "he's the owner for pete's sake" I cried "look, his name's on the business card"
"Er...........you're in the wrong school. The Daroonpat is just down the soi"
Ten minutes later, hot and sweaty, I pull up in front of the Daroonpat's imposing front gates on a motorcycle taxi and made my way to the administration offices where Dr Nunthiwat greeted me warmly - "did you have any problems finding us?"
"None at all Doc. None at all"

So what about a little background on the man himself? Well, he carved out a very successful career in the real estate business but education has always been in his blood. His mother started a vocational school many years ago on the site where the Daroonpat school will eventually stand in all its glory. Doctor Nunthiwat admits that the original school was his Mother's pride and joy and she worked very hard behind the scenes, but it just didn't make any money. "When you build a vocational school, the students are only with you for three years and then they are gone. With the Daroonpat bi-lingual school, the students will be with us for twelve years. This is what really excites me - the thought of having them under our wing until they develop into fine, upstanding young Thai citizens"

Doctor Nunthiwat, tell me a little about the Thai board members themselves?

At the moment we have seven board members, but as we grow, I expect to invite more. Each of the members has their own area of expertise. For example, we have Dr Ponkiat, who will be solely responsible for health and safety aspects within the school. I've only been in the academic business full-time for about five years and I'm still learning. I know that I need these people to assist me in many ways and they are people I trust will all do an excellent job. The board also includes 'Khru Kate', the very well-known teacher and media celebrity. The inclusion of Kate, among other things, helps us to project a very modern image and to send out a positive message to parents who want their kids to study here.
We also have a first-class administration team. Every one of them has vast experience in the educational field. 

What are your responsibilities apart from being the Director of Daroonpat School?

I am The Secretary General of the Vocational Schools Association of Thailand. I serve on several committees concerned with the standards of teaching in Thailand, and I was on the committee at The Thai Ministry of Education. (laughs) And I still find time to play golf.

You're set to open in May 2004. How many students do you expect?

We intend to grow slowly. Believe it or not, I am only looking for 100 students in the first year. I want to see how the school operates and what problems we face. It's far easier to sort out problems when you have only 100 students compared to say 500.
Quality comes first. The number of students comes second, and the price comes last. Once we build our reputation, the price won't be an issue. That's nothing new in business of course. It's just sound business sense.

Er....so studying here won't be cheap then?

The tuition will cost 100,000 baht per year per child. That said, I want parents to know they are getting full value for money. I refer to it as getting 200,000 baht per year in return. We are looking for students from 'B+' families. What I mean is that if we refer to the super-rich as the A category, then the B+ parents are probably professionals at multi-national companies, or perhaps working in successful family businesses. Not only that, but EVERY single parent will be interviewed by myself or trained Daroonpat admin staff. We want to make sure that at least one parent can speak English well in order to be able to help their child at home and create a learning environment. We want to make sure the child has access to English language TV programs like the Discovery channel or the Cartoon Network. In a way, I am not selling some educational dream, I am selling a service or a complete package to the family. The success of the service depends on a triangle - the teachers, the parents, and the student. I want everyone in the triangle to be active and work closely with each other.

Blimey! Won't that scare some parents off?

Listen Phil. I don't want parents throwing money at me because someone told them that the Daroonpat is a great school to study at. Remember the triangle. We want our school to be right for the student, but equally the parents and student must be right for us. If the child lives more than 45 minutes from the school, I'm sorry but you need to look elsewhere. We want the students bright and alert. Two hours spent commuting to and from school every day does not make for bright, alert students. The rules may seem a little harsh right now, but I know it's going to pay off in the long run.

So now the billion dollar question. How many teachers are you looking for?

I'm looking to recruit about 15-25 teachers with a Bachelor's degree and a recognized TEFL qualification. Experience is important too, but I'm only looking for 1-2 years of experience at this stage. Every teacher would be expected to serve a two-year contract and here's the really good news - I have set aside a budget of 200,000 baht per teacher to aid them with their development.

Nosher would really love working here. Any bennies?

I am currently talking to several universities including Mahidon University. I want them to put together a part-time Master's Degree program especially for the Daroonpat teachers. My goal is to have the teachers work here and study part-time for a further degree - at our expense. Hopefully, the teachers will stay with us for many years and become part of the Daroonpat family, but if they decide to move on, at least they have a master's to show for their time spent with us. As well as the opportunity to teach some hopefully wonderful and motivated Thai kids

I've had a little mooch around the school and I must say that the classrooms are impressive.

Every classroom has air-conditioning and every class will have a maximum of thirty students. In addition, every foreign teacher will make use of a Thai-speaking classroom assistant. You will notice also how the chairs and tables are arranged. Not in the traditional row-by-row, but in a way that encourages group discussions and stimulates the students. When they have finished the classroom, they can enjoy the computer lab, the extensive school grounds and the swimming pool.

Doctor, we wish you the best of luck with the Daroonpat school. You are ajarn.com's school of the month. The website is at http://www.daroonpat.com/index_eng.php The English version is still very much under construction. If you fancy joining the teaching staff at the Daroonpat school, then Dr Nunthiwat and his team would love to hear from you.