Suankularb Wittayalai School (โรงเรียนสวนกุหลาบวิทยาลัย; Abbreviation: ส.ก. / S.K.) (also known as Suankularb College) literally Rose Garden College is an all-boys secondary school for grades 7 through 12 in Bangkok, Thailand. Founded by King Chulalongkorn in 1882 as a peer's school, its purpose was to educate the children of nobility and the royal household. Suankularb is the oldest public secondary school in the country. Suankularb alumni include eight Prime Ministers of Thailand, nine Supreme Court Chief Justices, five attorneys general, two Fortune Global 500chief executives,[1][2] scholars, as well as a number of prominent politicians and businessmen. Suankularb is a member of Jaturamitr group of the four oldest boys' schools in Thailand. Suankularb consists of 11 campuses all over Thailand.
History
"Suankularb" means 'rose garden' in Thai, as the original school was in the area of a rose garden in the Grand Palace. The school was established by King Chulalongkorn on 29 August 1882 and was originally for Royal Page Lieutenants. It has always benefited from royal patronage.
Under the patronage and guidance of King Chulalongkorn the school grew quickly, changing its focus from military training to a more broadly-based curriculum that reflected the needs of its students. The number of students rapidly swelled to many hundreds. Some were relocated to other educational institutes outside the Grand Palace area (1893) such as Sunanthalai Garden and Thepsirin Temple school, and to its present site, originally donated by Wat Lieb (or Rachaburana Temple) in 1910. The opening of the first building at this site (called the Memorial Suan Kularb Building, but known among students as "the long building" because for many years it was the longest building in the country) was presided over by King Rama V. At this event he declared the importance of education as a means of developing the country.
The school has two shrines. The first, called Luang Phor Suankularb, is a 9-inch-high (230 mm) metal Buddha donated by King Rama V. The second, in the shape of a many-armed elephant and with a water display, is called "Luang Phor Poo" and is near the main entrance. It is thought to house the protective spirit of the place (known as "Grandfather"), with students making daily offerings of flower garlands as a token of respect.
For over a century, Suankularb's alumni have played important social, political, governmental, military, and academic roles in Thailand.[citation needed] During its early days, English expatriates served as the board of directors, and made it possible for notable school leavers, such as MR Kukrit Pramoj, to continue their studies abroad at institutions such as Oxford University. Early alumni formed a major group of Thai scholars sent to study abroad yearly under the King's Scholarships, and later Thai government scholarships. Upon their return, they worked mostly in government agencies and academic institutions and helped in modernizing the country.
King Bhumibol Adulyadej gave Suankularb an award for being the best school in the country between 1973 and 1975. Students won first prize in the King's Scholarship and in the Mathematics Association of Thailand's quiz.
In 1981 a multi-purpose building and gymnasium known as Building Number Six was built to commemorate the school's centennial. It was opened by King Bhumibol Adulyadej on 30 July 1984. Every year on 29th August – the founding day of the school – all O.S.K ("Old Suankularb") students assemble in front of Building Six where they pay respects to the large statue of King Rama V there. An auditorium was built in 1995 and opened that year by Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn. The teaching of science and technology has been a central policy of the school. The school possesses an extensive library, with some rare and valuable books donated by former Prime Minister Thanin Kraivixien.
Suankularb Wittayalai School
Facts
School Area: 4.6 acres (1.9 ha)
School Abbreviation: S.K.
Type of School: Government Boys' Secondary School (195 teachers and 3,918 students)
School Motto: (Pali) Suvijāno bhavaṃ hoti, He who knows well will progress
School emblem
A book, with a ruler, pen and pencil is inserted in the book. On the cover of the book, is a royal headdress (the "Pra Kiew" symbol) and King Chulalongkorn's initials. On the right side, there is a bouquet of roses. To the left of the book, a ribbon tying the bouquet of roses with the name of the school written on it. On the top, the Buddhist philosophy and moral principle in Pali and Thai which means : "He who knows well will progress."
School colours
Pink, the colour for Tuesday, is the day King Chulalongkorn was born.
Blue, the colour for Friday, is the day the school was created, and the day that Queen Siphatcharindra was born.
Suankularb Wittayalai School has many traditional events., including La-on Day, Samarnmitr Day, and Chak-Yao Day.
On La-on day all Matayom 6 students welcome first-year students to the school. It contains around six stations that were created by each group of Matayom 6 students, and each station has a souvenir to give to Matayom 1 students. At the end of the day, Matayom 6 student bands play a concert.
On Samarnmitr Day students and alumni come to Suankularb Wittayalai School. There are booths from every class, souvenirs, a soccer match, a mini concert from band, and additional activities that change from year to year. In the evening is an activity called "SK Jazz", a performance by the school orchestra and teachers.
Chak-Yao Day is the final examination day of Matayom 6 students, their last day at the school. All Matayom 6 students come and dine together with their teachers. After the dinner each class of Matayom 6 sit together in a circle and make a short speech. At the end of the event they sing a "Chompoo-Fah ar lai" song together.
