Mater Dei School (Thailand)

In 1925, the Ursuline Sisters of the Roman Union sent four of their European sisters to carry out educational works in Thailand at the invitation of Archbishop Rene Perros, head of the catholic mission in Siam. In 1926, Sister Marie Bernard Mancel, the second superior of the Ursuline Order in Thailand, decided to purchase a piece of land of about 18 rai (just under 3 hectares) with a large house. The house was removed, and Mater Dei was built on that land. It became the only educational institution on Ploenchit Road. Its wooden building had two prominent towers, one housing boarding students while another was the residence of the Sisters with a small chapel located inside.[1]

In 1927, the Sisters built a two-story school that was made entirely out of teak wood. A clean and crystal clear pond separated it from the original building. Classrooms were set up based on the British system, enrolling students from Kindergarten to Form V and comprising two departments, the English and the French departments. The school accepted both day and boarding students and was considered to be the first school in the area to offer Kindergarten level.

Mater Dei was founded on February 2, 1928. Classes commenced on February 6, 1928, with 45 students. Initially, two Sisters were assigned to accompany the students to and from Rajprasong since the area was rather deserted.

Although Mater Dei was an all-girls school, it enrolled boys from Kindergarten to Primary 2 as well. One of those students was Prince Ananda Mahidol who enrolled in 1930 and was given 273 as his student ID number. He became the king of Thailand in 1935, and remained so until his mysterious death in 1946. He was succeeded as King by his brother, Prince Bhumibol Adulyadej, who also enrolled at the school in 1932 and was given 449 as his student ID number.

In 1936, Mater Dei changed its curriculum to conform to that of the Ministry of Education. The Ministry opened a Pre-University School in order to prepare students for university education. It ordered other schools to discontinue classes for the last two years in the Secondary level, thus reducing the number of years for Secondary education. Mater Dei, therefore, opened a Finishing Course in 1939 that required three years to complete. In pursuing this course, students learned about proper etiquette so they would grow up to be well-rounded adults. There was no emphasis on vocational training, but students were taught domestic science and job skills. This course was later discontinued.

In 1944, during World War II, following the advice of the Ministry of Education, the school evacuated students to a safe shelter, its newly opened school in Hua Hin. It was moved back to the original location in 1945 when the war ended and the Japanese occupiers left.

Due to the constant increase in the number of students and the poor condition of the old buildings that made teaching difficult, the Sisters decided to build a new 3-story building in 1960. Situated to the west and parallel to Lang Suan Road, the building had eleven classrooms and three activity rooms. In 1962, another building comprising eight classrooms was built and the old wooden building was demolished.

In 1964, Mater Dei received the "Outstanding School" Award for three consecutive years. In the 3rd year, it also received a royal plaque.

In 1969, the old auditorium was in disrepair, so a new one was built in its place- the upper floor housing the auditorium and the lower floor housing the dining hall. To commemorate the 50th anniversary of Mater Dei's founding, the "50th Memorial Building" was opened in 1981. It is currently the school's gymnasium.

The most recent building was built in 1992. It houses the Kindergarten and Secondary School. Its name, "Royal Celebration Building", was given by King Bhumibol to celebrate his 6th cycle (72nd) birthday. It was also built to commemorate the school's founding.

All along, the school has been given excellent support from the "Mater Dei School Alumni Association Under the Royal Patronage" and the "Parents and Teachers Association" in the areas of human resource development, education, as well as the construction of new buildings to accommodate and provide quality education.

The school currently accepts students from Kindergarten 3 to the final year of Secondary School. The number of students in each class is generally limited to forty-eight, except for Kindergarten where there can be up to thirty in each class. There are four classrooms for Kindergarten and three for Primary and Lower Secondary. As for Upper Secondary, students can pick one out of three curriculums: Science, Art, and French.

Mater Dei's motto is "Serviam - We Shall Serve". It's meant to be in line with the school's philosophy, which is to "Educate the students so they become quality persons with high moral standards possessing wisdom and inner stability, and nurture them until they become well-rounded persons."

• Ananda Mahidol, King Rama VIII of Thailand
• Bhumibol Adulyadej, King Rama IX of Thailand[2]
• Dasanavalaya Sorasongkram, niece of King Rama IX[3]