What Does It Mean to Be an Australian School in Thailand?
During his visit to AISB, His Excellency Mr Pablo Kang reflects on Australian values, identity and the relationship between Australia and Thailand.
The Australian International School Bangkok recently welcomed His Excellency Mr Pablo Kang, Australian Ambassador to Thailand, to our Sukhumvit Soi 31 campus for a special visit with students, teachers and school leaders.
During the OPEC Outstanding International School Student Awards 2026 ceremony, Ambassador Kang reflected on what it means to be part of an Australian school. He invited students and teachers to consider what “Australian” represents beyond nationality or the school’s name:
"When people ask you, ‘Where do you go to school?’ and you tell them you go to the Australian school, what does that imply beyond the actual fact that that is the name of your school?"
The Values Behind Being Australian
For Ambassador Kang, what makes an Australian school distinctive is not simply just its name or curriculum, but the values and ethos that shape how people learn, work together and contribute to the wider community. He highlighted six values he associates with Australia:
“Australia is known for a number of core values: fairness, integrity, diversity, democracy, egalitarianism, mateship. And I hope that is what your school tries to project here in Thailand.”
His message was that being Australian is not only about nationality. It can also be reflected in how people treat one another, work together, respect different perspectives and contribute to the communities around them. At AISB, those ideas are reflected in our own core values of Wellbeing, Respect, Integrity, Community, Personal Best and Global Outlook, and in the way students are encouraged to learn, participate and support each other.
Building Connections Between Australia and Thailand
Ambassador Kang also reminded students that the relationship between Australia and Thailand extends beyond governments and diplomacy. Through education, cultural exchange and everyday connections between people, students and teachers are already part of that relationship.
“While I am the Australian Ambassador to Thailand, you are all Australian ambassadors to Thailand because you either study or work at this school.”
It was a reminder that being part of an Australian school in Thailand also means looking beyond borders, learning from different perspectives and contributing to the connections between our two countries.
Experiencing AISB in Action
Following the ceremony, Ambassador Kang toured AISB’s Sukhumvit Soi 31 campus and met students and teachers across the school. He visited our libraries, science laboratories, classrooms and Innovation Centre before continuing through the Primary learning spaces and newly renovated Amaroo Campus.
The tour also highlighted how AISB’s Australian educational approach is reflected across the school, from the Australian Early Years Learning Framework through to the Australian Curriculum, with an emphasis on inquiry-based learning, curiosity, critical thinking and a balanced approach to education.
The visit provided a fitting conclusion to Ambassador Kang’s presentation, connecting Australian values, education and identity with the everyday life of the school. It also offered a reminder that being an Australian school in Thailand is shaped not only by curriculum, but by the values, relationships and perspectives students carry with them beyond the classroom.
Ambassador Kang’s reflections offered a simple but meaningful perspective: being Australian can extend beyond nationality, through openness to others, shared responsibility and the connections we build across borders. We thank His Excellency Mr Pablo Kang for visiting AISB and for inviting our students and teachers to reflect more deeply on what being part of an Australian school can mean.
To learn more about the achievements of AISB students recognised in the OPEC Outstanding International School Student Awards 2026 click here: Link to Article
