At approximately 375 million native speakers, English is the third most widely spoken language in the world. However, if combined with the number of speakers whohave it as a second language, then that number easily exceeds that of Mandarin and Spanish speakers.

English is widely considered to be the lingua franca of communication in the business, trade, science and almost every other sector that requires people to exchange or convey thoughts and ideas.

It therefore makes sense that, if one wishes to succeed in Phuket – or anywhere in this global society – to be able to speak English and to have this valuable skill. But what is the metaphorical and literal cost of obtaining this skill? And, if it is a valuable skill to have, then surely everyone should have it.

However like every skill or thing considered to be special, if everybody has it then can it still be considered as such? Surely it is in the interest of those who have it to restrict those who don’t.

To equip our children with the necessary skills to prosper in this world is a natural desire and there are many ways in Phuket that this can be done, if of course you have the means to choose. But which one is right for you as a parent and for your child?

The first option available to all little boys and girls in Thailand is to attend a state-run Thai school in which students will be taught English three periods a week by a Thai teacher who was probably taught in a state-run school. The class sizes your little nipper will be in will be between 40 and 50 students.

A headmistress of one such school is Supaluck Kmethakul. She believes a stumbling block placed in front of her students is that state-run schools are unable to employ native English speakers as teachers, because they require higher salaries than the schools can afford.

The Thai education system has nationally recognised English exams at the end of eachof the education system’s four key stages. The Mathayom Six (M6) exam – taken at 18 years old – is arguably the most important one in the state education program. The tests involve reading, writing and listening exercises, but do not have a speaking section. The average marks for these tests have been decreasing of late, with results of Stage Two examinations, taken when students are 12 years old, falling from an average of 49.56% in 2001 to 37.34% in 2006 and with the results for the final M6 exam at a low 32.45%.

These low results would seem to suggest that attending a state-run school is gambling with the ability to attain a good level of English and possibly miss out on a better future. Bhakorn Koyvanich,
Managing D i r e ctor of www.phuketdelights.com admitted “English is essential for communication,
all of our employees have to learnEnglish.”

International schools, such as the British International School, are able to provide first class English educational as the majority of the classes are taken in English and follow the British curriculum. All lessons are taught in English, with the majority of the teachers being native English speakers.

To stroll around the campus, one would think one had returned to the era of Victorian England as one is accosted by floppy haired foreign children running hither and thither to participate in English / international activities. With the examination structure set up to provide the children with such an international education it’s natural that a lot of the children go on to study abroad, in the USA or UK
for example, however that is not to say that they could not theoretically remain and study in Thailand, as the Thai language is taught at International schools, in fact according to the requirements of the Thai Ministry of Education, Thai Studies is a compulsory subject in education for Thai and foreign students in an international school.

However, the fees are substantial, understandably high because they need to pay native English speakers in order to assure the parents that their children are being taught to an international level, but also high enough to keep the majority in the Thai and expat community from enrolling.

There are a number of other private international schools on Phuket island including the QSI International School of Phuket, which adopts a standard American curriculum accredited by the Thailand Ministry of Education, yet Mathew Zandstra, the director of instruction, is aware of the responsibilities that an international school has.

“It is wise for any international school to keep in mind the surroundings in which it is set. A high percentage of QSI students have a blended heritage,” he explained. “This dual instruction system allows them to develop both skill sets without sacrificing important Thai culture and language needs.”
Khun Supaluck concurs: “As a Thai, international schools are good but the children should not forget that they are Thai and be proud of being Thai and learn about their culture.”

Since 1999 the Thai government has allowed some private Thai schools to run English language programs. Permikiat Ketkul is the manager of Kajonkietsuka School and clarifies “The government would like to call us an English program school, but we classify ourselves as a bilingual school.”

These bi-lingual schools run an English program alongside a Thai program and it is the parents’ choice which one to choose, students enrolled in the Thai program will follow almost exactly the same curriculum as can be found in Thai schools, while students enrolled in the English program are taught every subject in English by native speakers. However Khun Permikiat is quick to point out, “We follow all the Thai traditions and customs here. We have a quite clear idea on these issues and if people are looking for Western culture then they won’t find it here.”

Few could argue that, if one is living in a foreign culture, it is important to become integrated into that society and feel connected. The only problem therefore is, if you want your child to speak English at a comprehensive level and still experience Thai culture then you must earn a reasonable income.

This is unfortunately creating a type of linguistically segregated society, and a division between those who can afford to send their children to an ‘international’ school – a euphemism for expensive – and those who cannot.

“To overcome the English limitation in Thai schools will be a long term process.” K Supaluck believes. “The government and private agencies have to make it clear how important English is at work. If people see that English is used regularly, they will see the need and push themselves and their children
to move forward to learn English. The rich have always had better opportunities than the poor, but there are exceptions for those who work hard.”

K Supalick added, “There are scholarships for disadvantaged students to study abroad and many have benefited from this. Moreover, there are now many government schools coming up with bilingual or international curriculums. This gives students a good chance to study in English at a lower expense.”

It is a vicious circle: Thai schools cannot afford to employ native speakers, which means that the level of English available for Thai children is at a sub-standard level, therefore each generation of Thais, unless wealthy, will find it difficult to learn English at an 'international' level until a change occurs.

How are Thai people of a relatively modest background ever going to be able to compete in a global market or even with the foreign markets here in Phuket if they are unable to learn the ‘international
language of communication’?

Khun Permikiat believes in and has suggested what he calls a ‘sustainable solution’ to the government, “This is a technique they use in Malaysia. They send a thousand teachers to England a year to learn English, I believe this would cost about a million baht per teacher here, but if you think about how many students that can be taught correct English with the right accent, then it makes sense.”

It has been said that language reflects culture; that there is something about a country and its language that is intrinsically intertwined. So surely if we all end up speaking English then this will have worrying repercussions for the rich diversity of culture, surely no-one wants a hegemonic global society where the whole world is the same, where everybody frequents air-conditioned Starbucks and dresses the same, eats the same and aspires to be the same, do we?