BIS takes to water for growth

Faced with higher operating expenses, the British Inter-national School, one of three international schools on this resort island, is to launch a water-sports programme next year to attract more students.

Varapimm Sundaravej, head of marketing and communications, said the BIS needed to differentiate itself from other schools. The school's location near famous beaches is ideal to promote its water-sports programme, which will include swimming, boating, sailing and yachting.

The idea was inspired by the success of the school's sport and adventure camp.

"Our camp received good feedback from children and contributes seven-digit revenue to the BIS per year. The school executives thus believe that these activities can be included in the education programme in order to draw more students," she said.

The BIS, which faces competition from the QSI International School, American International School and bilingual schools on the island, sees differentiation as key.

The school has 900 students, 90 per cent of them children of foreigners working in Phuket. Others are from neighbouring countries and local towns like Hat Yai and Koh Samui. However, some students from Hat Yai opted to move to Bangkok schools after budget airlines were forced to stop Hat Yai-Phuket flights due to high fuel prices.

Varapimm said the number of students now depended largely on the number of expatriates in Phuket and foreign buyers of property on the island. Though the BIS is now profitable, it is experiencing an increase in operating costs like other businesses, thanks to high inflation and other economic conditions. It is difficult for the school to raise its tuition fees, as they are already the highest among peer schools.

"We are considering raising tuition fees, though it would be 5 per cent maximum," Varapimm said.

The school charges Bt100,000 per semester per student, with Bt200,000 for boarders.

The BIS holds roadshows twice a year in neighbouring countries to encourage parents to send their children to study in Thailand. Even though the school curriculum is from Cambridge University, it has failed to draw many students from neighbouring countries.