Dulwich to open college on Samui

KOH SAMUI: David Cook, Headmaster of Dulwich International College (DIC), has announced that the international school will open a new campus on Koh Samui next year. At a meeting of property developers and agents on Koh Samui on Friday, Mr Cook said that DIC had concluded the purchase of 65 rai of land with 300 meters of road front in the southwest of the island. The construction of the new college is expected to be completed by June 2005, with the first students starting lessons two months later. Applications are already being accepted. The new school will be akin to a British preparatory school, offering classes for children aged from three to 13 years old (kindergarten to year 8). Graduates from the school will, DIC hopes, continue their education as boarders in Phuket. The new Samui school will have capacity for more than 400 children. Following the success of primary boarding in Phuket, where dormitories are close to full occupancy, boarding facilities will be available at the Samui campus for students in years 4 to 8. Mr Cook commented: “In my opinion our boarding facilities are second to none in the region. They rival, and in many cases exceed, those offered in the leading boarding schools of Britain.” An Outdoor Education Centre (OEC) is also planned. This center will include teaching facilities for outdoor, geographical, scientific and environmental education, as well as facilities for training students in pursuits such as kayaking, climbing, sailing, orienteering, and team-building exercises. Students at both DIC campuses will have access to the OEC. The announcement of the new campus was met with enthusiasm by Samui property developers. Gary Pearmain of Coconut Land and House said that the college would add an important new dimension to Samui. “The door is now open to the family market,” he said. Fellow property developer Paul Atkinson commented, “The opening of a top quality international college in Samui will definitely lift the standards. [People used to say,] ‘We love Samui, but what about the kids?’ That problem is solved.”