Ekamai International School


Ekamai International School is a private, non-profit, co-educational, international school founded by the Seventh-day Adventist Church. It is located in Watthana District, Bangkok, Thailand and educates students from pre-kindergarten to the twelfth grade. In 1993, the school acquired an international school license. The school is part of the worldwide Seventh-day Adventist education system.

History

From the end of World War II in 1945, missionaries from the US entered Thailand. In 1946, American Adventist missionaries founded a missionary training institution, located at Phyathai Road. The first classes were held in a temporary building made out of thatched bamboo and a metal roof.
In 1957, the school was called the "Adventist English School". Some local properties called "Ekamai" were purchased and consolidated to expand the campus. Until the 1970s, the school's pupils were the children of American missionaries and expatriate foreign residents. The school was the first in Thailand to instruct pupils using English.
In 1992, during the government of Anand Panyarachun, the Thai Ministry of Education recognized the Adventist English School as an international school. The school's name was changed to "Ekamai International School". In 1998, the school received accreditation from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.

Curriculum

The school teaches a curriculum based on the US education system in American English from pre-kindergarten to the twelfth grade. Thai language and cultural instruction is given. The school is open to pupils of all nationalities and religions.
The school is a member of the International Schools Association of Thailand, and of the East Asia Regional Council of Overseas Schools. Other authorizing bodies include the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, California, US; the International Schools Association of Thailand ; the Adventist Accrediting Association - the official Seventh-day Adventist Education Department's accreditation body, headquartered in Maryland, US; and the Office for National Education Standards and Quality Assessment.
The school offers a general education diploma; a college preparatory diploma; a college preparatory diploma with a focus on business studies and a college preparatory diploma with a focus on medicine or engineering.
Students attend religious education classes and a weekly chapel service. There are after-school Bible studies, spiritual self-development programs, and school wide prayer groups.

Facilities

The school facilities include a high school building; a middle school building with a conference room; and a primary and elementary building. There is also a music education and "pathfinder" building. The school has a soccer field and a covered court that serves as basketball, tennis, and badminton courts. Other facilities include libraries, health clinic, counseling offices, storage areas, science and computer laboratories, and a chaplaincy. The school has a cafeteria, snack bar, a bakery, and a uniform shop.