Scholarship Scheme 'was Rushed Through'

[iChubbyGirl]

Hi all,

What do u think about this news.

Published on Aug 19, 2004

The suicide of a Thai girl studying in Germany under the "One District, One Scholarship" programme has left the Thaksin government grappling with a very cruel question: Was she sent there to die?

The prime minister and top education officials admitted yesterday that the whole scholarship process might have been implemented "too quickly'', resulting in the "white elephants" - talented country students - not being properly prepared for the culture shock awaiting them in foreign lands.

Natchanon Mekee, 17, from Kamphaeng Phet's Phran Kratai district, jumped to her death from a hospital room on Friday. She was being treated there after swallowing a large amount of painkillers.

Homesickness and stress have been identified as the most likely causes leading to the teenager taking her life.

She was said to have been in emotional turmoil, caught between the strong urge to go home and the fear of being deemed a failure and an embarrassment to the family.

The programme was initiated for |talented but underprivileged kids. Most of the selected students had never been on an aeroplane before, let alone sent to a foreign land where they will spend months or years away from home.

Now, government officials are scrambling to provide intensified counselling to the more than 700 students who either have been sent overseas under the programme or are preparing to leave.

The programme covers almost 20 countries, raising the question of how rural students can adapt to a new culture, environment, learning atmosphere and, in many cases, a third language apart from English, all at the same time.

"We may have sent them away too soon," Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra admitted. "Better preparations could have led to less problems."

Natchanon was described as an active, excellent student - but she was only compared to other students in the same district.

Though she talked about being sent to Germany as a good experience in her initial letters to her family, she started to complain about homesickness and pressures in later contacts.

The Office of the Civil Service Commission (OCSC) will introduce a series of measures aimed at easing participating students' loneliness and facilitating regular contact with their families. Regular counselling will also be available.

"We are all shocked," said Sima Simanant, secretary-general of the OCSC.

Sima insisted that all students taking part in the programme had passed mental checks.

Students who felt they could not handle the transition could simply ask to come home and study here under government sponsorship, Sima said.

"We may have to be more strict and thorough with the mental evaluations," Education Minister Adisai Bodharamik said.

Mantana Piyamada, deputy secretary-general of the OCSC, said students should make a concerted effort to learn the language of their temporary home and adjust to their new surroundings.

She said no other government-scholarship student had committed suicide during her 30 years at the OCSC.

Prinya Thaewanarumitkul, former president of the Thai Students Association in Germany, said the government should also provide an orientation session in the destination country shortly after students arrive.

Siwapoom Jantha, 18, a scholarship student from Ubon Ratchathani's Nam Yuen district, who leaves for Japan next month, said Natchanon's death did not lessen his passion to study abroad as he was certain he could adjust well.

[kat]

This is very sad indeed, but I am sorry to say, I expected it. The program was extremely rushed (just initiated a few months ago, right?), and I could not believe they were sending poor rural students abroad without proper language and culture training. Obviously, this training and support would need to continue in every country for at least a year while the student was there. It was unbelievable to me when I first heard the program announced, and now they are reaping the effects of what should have been clear to any half-wit that thought about it for half a second.

The fact is that a poor rural student in Thailand would experience cultural and academic shock in the best schools of Thailand, nevermind another country. I can relate to this story, because I was an underprivileged student in my own country in the west, and got a scholarship to attend the top universities in my country. It was immensely difficult and stressful, and would not have been achievable without support systems and other people around you who understand the enormous jump you are making in the assumed hierarchies of the world.

This administration failed that poor girl, and I hope they will talk to qualified people to make sure this will not happen again and these poor children will graduate. They need to start at least a year in advance with special cultural programs that will pool candidates to study abroad.

[bkkharry]

Everything plan, progam, on new idea Thaksin comes up with is rushed throught without any real thought put into it. He is a man of deadlines. eliminate drugs in 3 months, solve the problems in the South 30 days, arrest all terriorist in 30 days,

push through the 30 baht hospital plan. Some of ideas are good concepts, but no time or effort is put into coming up with a good plan, because he wants everything done right now.

Thaksin is always telling his people to read all the new managemnt books pushing the latest management methods and ideas. Any new type program needs to be throughly evualated and tested. Thaksin might read many of these books, but I don't believe he understands much of what he reads.

The scholar ship plan is a good idea, but why don't these people put some time, effort, and thought into it before they implement it. Its all Thaksins, think new, act now, do it right now. What a bunch of crap. Its always the people who suffer as a result of Mr Know it All rushed through programs.

[thailien8]

I'd like to add a couple of quotes from the story on the front page of Bkk. Post of August 19.

"The students were admitted after sitting an English-language screening exam but were sent to non-English speaking countries to pursue their bachelor's degree. Many found themselves learning a new language from scratch and were expected to be proficient enough to study in universities alongside native speakers within a short period."

"Opponents, (of the project) however said the government was trying to woo the loyalty of poor voters."

After all, the next election is coming up in a few more months....

[Spee]

"The students were admitted after sitting an English-language screening exam but were sent to non-English speaking countries to pursue their bachelor's degree.

Really sad and tragic story ... may her spirit be comforted in the hereafter ... and may the decision makers be a bit wiser the next time around.

BTW, where was the parental involvement in this process?

A little off topic of this thread, but generally speaking, how do Thai elementary and middle schools stack up with other countries like Japan, England, Germany and the US? All language issues aside, are the kids adequately prepared in terms of course intensity, study habits, exposure to other countries and cultures, etc.?

This has a lot of bearing for me, as I hope to bring my fiance' and her daughter to the UK. This is primarily so we can be together as a family while I work here, but also to help her daughter start getting the best education possible. She is only six, but we already have her enrolled in beginning english class. It has to be critical for transition and culture shock to be as smooth and minimal as possible.

[MadFrankie]

very sad, for a young girl who obviously had a lot going for her to resort to this speaks volumes about the amount of preperation she was given. Not just thailand thats @ fault tho, surely the krauts should have had her on suicde watch after already trying to take her life...