A broad church

Yet if you ask the same people whether there are dogmatic clashes with Buddhism — after all, only 0.7 percent of Thais claim to be practising Catholics — and about the history, staff and administration of such schools, you will likely be met with blank stares. In fact, the history of education in Thailand is closely intertwined with the spread of Catholicism, and understanding the roots of the Catholic system is key to understanding its role and prevalence in the current system.

The close association began some 700 years ago during the Ayutthaya period (1350-1767) when international trade flourished between Thailand and many European countries. Flourishing trade meant the arrival of educated missionaries, ready to spread the word — and to teach.

According to Brother P. Martin Komolas, president of Thailand’s Association of Catholic Education Council, Portugese missionaries began the process of schooling laymen. Prior to this, formal education had been the privilege of only the wealthy.

However, it wasn’t until 1665, five years after the arrival of French missionaries, that Catholic education gained a foothold in Thailand. During this period, King Narai the Great welcomed foreign missionaries as diplomats and as a neutral parties in a world increasingly dominated by colonial powers.

King Narai eventually donated a plot of land in the Bang Pla Hed district of Ayutthaya to the Paris Foreign Mission Society. This later became the first local Catholic school, and was called General College. An all-male liberal arts establishment, General College mainly taught the social sciences. Religious instruction was, perhaps surprisingly, not part of the curriculum.

“In the beginning, there may not have been many textbooks, so sometimes the Gospels were used as textbooks,” says Father Vivat Praesiri, director of the Education Department of the Bangkok Archdiocese. “But the key was to teach academic subjects. Those who showed special interest in Catholicism could study it separately.”

Unfortunately, in 1688, political turmoil between Thailand and Burma forced the closure of General College, which was later moved to Malaysia. This period saw an interruption to all foreign activity in Thailand — only when Bangkok was established as the capital city in 1767 did French missionaries resume their activities.

The following period was a time of growth for Catholic schools in Thailand. The newly arrived missionaries began setting up schools at the primary level in Bangkok, starting with Calvary Church in 1772, Assumption Parish in 1785, Santa Cruz in 1796, and St Francis Xavier Parish in 1834.

The period between the late 1800s and early 1900s also saw a growth in the numbers of Catholic congregations in Thailand. Among these were the Salesians, the Monfort Brothers of St Gabriel, the Ursuline sisters, the Sisters of the Sacred Heart, the Sisters of the Holy Infant Jesus, and the Assumption Sisters.

These congregations continued the work of earlier missionaries in setting up schools and educating Thai children. They also helped to establish formal Catholic schools, including parochial schools, which receive financial support from the government, religious schools managed by the Catholic order, and Catholic layman schools, which are owned by Catholics, but which do not necessarily teach the Catholic faith.

In 1965, the Association of Catholic Education Council was established to coordinate and oversee Catholic education in Thailand. The council, a member of International Office of Catholic Education, located in Brussels, works under the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Thailand, the highest Catholic body in the country.

“The Catholic Education Council doesn’t set academic curricula for schools; that is the direct responsibility of the Ministry of Education,” says Brother Martin. “But the council lays a foundation and suggests ways that schools can integrate moral education and the study of ethics into the curriculum.”

Such study doesn’t automatically mean students have to convert to Catholicism, however. In the council’s recorded deliberations of 1979, for example, it is stated that: “The Catholic school is committed to the development of the whole man, according to Christian Principles.”

The deliberations also say that: “Each student is expected to seriously explore his religious tradition; the Catholic to deepen his commitment to Jesus and the church; the non-Christian to explore his own religious heritage; and both to be spiritually enriched by each other.”

Sumitra Phongsathorn, coordinator for the Ursuline Order in Thailand, explains how Catholic schools actually put these principles into practice.

For example, at Mater Dei School — one of four Catholic schools under the order — there is a class period in the morning when Catholic students go to a separate class and study the Gospels or attend mass. Buddhist students, in the meantime, remain in their classrooms and study ethics.

“Mater Dei chooses to have every student study Buddhism because it is the national religion,” Sumitra says. “Besides, students, regardless of which religion they believe in, can benefit from learning Buddhist philosophy, which has always remained at the core of social developments in Thailand.” Buddhist studies are also required by law.

But all this is not to overplay the impact of serious religious studies in students’ everyday life at Catholic schools. Rather, religious principles act more like moral guidelines that helps students become good citizens. Brother Martin sums up the approach.

“Catholic schools remain dedicated to moral education and teaching students how to become good citizens. In doing this, Buddhists will remain as devout as before,” he says.

“Our current policy is to reinforce students’ faith in their own religions because we, as Catholic educators, believe that our students — Buddhists, Christians, or Muslims alike — must become good citizens. And this will, in return, foster peace in the world.”