SISB to Bring AI Lessons to Grade 1, Freezing Fees Across Bangkok Campuses

Singapore International School of Bangkok, the sole publicly traded international school operator on the Stock Exchange of Thailand, will introduce mandatory artificial intelligence education from Grade 1 when its new academic year opens in August, according to Kaohoon International, which reported plans outlined by chief executive Yew Hock Koh. The announcement pairs an ambitious curriculum change with a tuition freeze across all six Bangkok campuses, an unusual combination at a time when most operators in the city have continued to raise fees.

What the curriculum involves

The programme will be aligned with OECD guidelines and built around what SISB describes as AI Literacy, a framework for helping students understand and work appropriately with AI tools rather than use them as academic shortcuts. Koh has been deliberate in separating the initiative from any cost-reduction rationale; the school's stated aim is to prepare students for a working world in which fluency with artificial intelligence is likely to be a basic professional expectation. The rollout applies across all campuses and is expected to reach the school's current enrolment of roughly 4,600 students, with a December target of 4,800.

The structural approach is to embed AI literacy within the standard curriculum from Grade 1 upwards rather than to offer it as a standalone elective, which the group says makes it a whole-school commitment rather than an enrichment option for interested pupils.

Why fees are being held flat

Running alongside the curriculum initiative is a decision to hold tuition rates steady through 2026, despite ongoing inflationary pressures on school operating costs. SISB has framed the freeze as a direct response to the affordability challenge it faces in scaling beyond its existing families. The group is simultaneously expanding its second brand, Marina Singapore International School, which carries fees 30 to 40 per cent below the main SISB label and is aimed at Thai families who have historically found international schooling out of reach.

A seventh campus in Rangsit, Pathum Thani, is on track to open in August, adding roughly 600 seats to the group's capacity. Annual revenue growth of 3 to 5 per cent is projected for 2026, funded almost entirely by enrolment gains rather than price increases. SISB's position as Thailand's only listed school operator means its strategic moves are more closely tracked than those of privately held rivals, with Krungsri Securities carrying a buy rating and a target price of THB 15 against a recent market price near THB 10.50. Whether the AI literacy programme becomes a genuine differentiator in Bangkok's competitive school market, or one that rivals quickly replicate, may become clearer once the August intake is settled.