Kiettisack International School

About this school : 

Kiettisack International School (KIS) was first established in Vientiane in 1992. It was founded by Dr. David Marian and Chansanga Valakone with only 7 students, under the name of Daystar School. After Dr. David Marian passed away, the name was changed to Honour International School (HIS). In 2005, when HIS was granted permission to function as an international school, the school’s name was changed to its Lao version, Kiettisack International School (KIS).

Kiettisack International School (KIS), as it is now known, turns 21 this school year. This private school has grown rapidly, providing education to students from Nursery through Senior Secondary, ages 2-18. By implementing the license from the Lao Ministry of Education and the University of Cambridge International Examinations to operate as Examination Centre LA008 in Vientiane, Lao P.D.R., KIS offer students the opportunity to sit for an International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) and A/As level Certificate). Furthermore in 2012, KIS established a branch in Luang Prabang (LP) province where we received great support from parents and students. KIS-LP then obtained a licence from the Lao Ministry of Education in 2013 to operate a branch providing international education; this academic year, KIS-LP moves to the new campus in Nongkham Village, Luang Prabang District, Luang Prabang Province.

Kiettisack International School’s (KIS) Vientiane campus has enhanced its reputation in the eyes of the parents; as a result, the number of the students is increasing by 20% each year. We now have more than 1100 students and expect to have 1400 students in the 2014-15 school year. KIS-LP has also enjoyed an increase of 47 students, or 67%, over last year. We now have over 110 students with 3 mainstream classes, Year 1, Year 3 and Year 7, as well as ESL and ESC classes.

Under the guidance of the Ministry of Education and Sports, the Vientiane Capital Education Department and the Sisattanak District Education Office, the following framework has been laid down: in Vientiane, we have one Director and 4 Deputy Directors. We have 7 heads – the head of Pre-primary, Lower Primary, Upper Primary, ESL, Junior Secondary, ESC, Senior Secondary and Extra Curricular Activities (Art, PE and Languages: Chinese, Japanese and French) and the Lao Head Teacher. In addition, we have 100 teaching staff of which 53 are from overseas and 47 are Lao. We also have support staff, comprising 6 guards, 7 drivers and 12 kitchen staff. Likewise, in KIS-LP we have 9 international staff, 19 Lao teachers and 13 support staff.

The dynamic history of KIS makes it a special place for our students. The value of our step-by-step approach in each school year is demonstrated by the capacity and potential of our Vientiane Senior Secondary students, many of whom have gained university scholarships around the world. Moreover, our students have won many regional prizes including: The Young Scientist Competition, organized by the Ministry of Southeast Asian Education, The Sri Aman Environmental Youth Leadership Summit, Malaysia 2012, The Residential Schools International Symposium, Malaysia 2012. The results at Senior Secondary level over the past 3 years show that students do not have to come from wealthy families in order to achieve a quality education. If a student has the ability and is prepared to work hard then there are many avenues open for them to gain scholarships.

Art and Culture, which are an important part of our curriculum, were one of the highlights of this academic year. Our Vientiane Senior Secondary students have produced a short movie every year over the last three years, with titles such as ”Witch on the Earth”, “Friendship”, “Unforgettable Laos” and “The Twilight Saga”. As a result, in March 2013 our students received the First Audience Prize in the Short Film Competition of the 3rdVientianale International Film Festival. In addition, KIS students have received first and second prizes in both the European Art Competition and Indian Embassy’s Art Competition in every year of these competitions.

Swimming has been the most successful area of PE this year. In Vientiane, we have had many swimmers who filled the first 3 places in schools and national competitions. Some of our students took part in the SEA Games and the Olympic trials. In addition, our girls and boys basketball teams did very well in almost reaching the final of their tournament. Moreover, in football we have teams competing in the age groups of 6 to 16. The 6 to 7 and the 8 to 9 groups won their divisions. We received the Unity Trophy for this effort. In the 12 to 13 girls age group we won first prize and in the 14 to 16 age group we finished runners- up.

All of our teachers are highly committed and work hard to impart their knowledge to their students. Our teaching staff work not only during school hours, but have freely given their own time to help Lao society by volunteering to teach the employees of the Ministry of Education and Sports.

Finally, we ended the school year with another spectacular year-end concert which showcased the individual talents our students possess. Many thanks to all the parents, students, and teachers who contributed to another successful year at KIS.

We look forward to providing your children with the best quality education in the upcoming 2013-2014 academic school year.