Scholarship recipients traveled to 16 countries, such as Egypt, France, China, Germany, Spain, Sweden, The Netherlands, Russia, Japan and Canada. University courses were mostly taught in the official language of the host country.

That means that students would have to learn mechanical engineering, for instance, in German, Italian, Mandarin, Dutch, Japanese or Arabic, for example. The obvious language barriers and cultural differences combined to present daunting challenges for even the most dedicated Thai student.

The Scholarship for Local Development (SLD) was formerly known as the One District One Scholarship (ODOS) scheme under the Thaksin government in 2004.

The ODOS program was criticized because of the 740 students of the first batch to study abroad, 113 returned prematurely to continue their studies in Thailand. A much smaller number of the second batch has so far returned.

The early returns prompted concerns that either the selection process was inherently flawed, the government was not doing enough to prepare students to study in a foreign language, or that the government was not providing sufficient support to the scholarship recipients during their studies abroad, or all of the preceding.

The SLD is currently undergoing reassessment. Later it will be submitted to the cabinet and the cabinet will decide whether the program will continue.

Education Minister Prof Dr Wichit Srisa-arn said in August that he does not see the return of students as a project failure, but acknowledged that many students returned because they were not fluent in the language of the country they were sent to.

To avoid students returning early from studies abroad, like the first and second batch of students, the minister recently said that the committee overseeing the scholarship will propose to the cabinet that it terminate grants for students who choose to return to study in Thailand.

Background

The ODOS was renamed the Scholarship for Local Development to reflect its new selection process, which was to select students from each education service area rather than each district.

Because some districts had only one secondary school, there was no competition in that district, says the Education Ministry's permanent secretary, Jaruayphorn Thorranin. Selecting students by education zone provided a wider selection of students because there are several secondary schools in each education service area.

The new name also reflected the scholarship's ultimate goal to encourage students to help develop their local community after completing their studies.

The scholarship was first funded through the 2- and 3-digit lotteries. It is now funded by the national budget after the government suspended the lotteries. Since the budget comes from the people's tax money, says Jaruayphorn, the ministry has to make sure that the money is spent effectively.

The Office of the Higher Education Commission, which oversees scholarship students in Thailand, and the Civil Service Commission, which oversees scholarship students abroad, are to report the performances of current scholarship students to the cabinet.

Inadequate preparation

To qualify for the scholarship, a student's family income needs to be less than 150,000 baht annually. The students should also have a grade point average of 3.0 for the last five semesters of their secondary schooling.

The first batch of students was only tested on their English skills, while the second batch of students was tested on their knowledge of social science, mathematics, science and English.

No language preparation was made available for the first batch, while a three-month language preparation course was provided for the second batch at Srinakharinwirot and Mae Fa Luang universities. The extra language course seems to have helped reduce the number of recipients returning early from abroad so far.

Reasons for returning early

For many scholarship recipients, the decision to return to Thailand from overseas studies was a tough choice to make, considering the inevitable criticism they might have to face for not having successfully pursued their higher education abroad. Nevertheless, many scholarship recipients were determined to finish their education degree in Thailand.

For most, the stumbling block was the language used in the countries, as many first batch students left Thailand without any language preparation. Upon arrival, many enrolled in language institutes before pursuing their higher education. Although some were able to communicate in the foreign language outside the classroom, they decided to return because they still struggled in their studies.

Choochat Densak from Chaiyaphum province, now enrolled in Rangsit University, says he struggled with the science terminologies when he was studying in France. The one-year language study in France only taught him French for daily usage, but did not provide him the technical terms he needed for his field of chemistry.

Likewise, Chokchai Ngamhom, currently a Thammasat University student who studied engineering in France, said that while his native French classmates were able to solve their physics problems directly, he had to first translate the problem into Thai in order to understand it.

Another student who studied in Rome, Italy, struggled with Italian. Pongsak Sungtong, from Trat, now studying at Bangkok University, said that the four months of Italian preparation that he received when he first arrived in Italy was insufficient for comprehending class lectures. Discouraged in his studies, he returned home early.

For some, the language struggles were not only confined to classrooms, but also extended to daily living, such as getting a train from one destination to another. Weeraprapa Tawongwan, from Chiang Rai, says it was difficult to get anywhere by train in Japan for the first few months, as the routes were written in Kanji characters. Many Japanese were unable to assist her by giving directions. She felt the pressure of having to study for intensive Japanese language courses at the same time as having to look for a university to enroll in because the university arrangements were not made in advance from Thailand.

Students also faced language difficulties in their studies in Germany. Nearly 20 students returned to study in Thailand, and one 17-year-old student committed suicide.

Most scholarship students had to look for their own accommodations and apply to universities without assistance. Some students felt lucky because they met other Thai students who could give advice on where to stay.

Being in a foreign country made some students homesick. Montree Dokkham, now studying at the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, said he felt very lonely in Canada and frequently called back home. He advises new scholarship recipients not only to be prepared with language skills, but also to be emotionally prepared to spend time immersed in a different culture.

Some students were concerned that they might not graduate on time or might not graduate at all if they extended their stay abroad. They chose to return to Thailand to finish their degree because they were afraid that if they exceeded the seven-year scholarship grant, they would not be able to afford tuition.

Other scholars returned for family-related reasons, such as having a family member become severely ill.

Many scholarship recipients report that their parents were supportive of their decision to return.

Improving the selection process

The government is aware of insufficient language preparation for scholarship students going abroad, which is evident by the introduction of the three-month language preparation courses for the second batch of students. A study should be conducted to determine in what other areas Thailand can better prepare its star students to compete effectively abroad.

The ministry also plans to have the National Institute of Education Testing Service (Niets) administer examinations to scholarship applicants, if a third batch of scholarships is granted, to ensure a fairer selection.

Since the scholarships are for poor students with good academic achievements, the government should ensure that seats are reserved just for them, carefully scrutinizing that the recipients really have an annual family income of less than 150,000 baht.

Some students report having a dilemma whether to study in Thailand or abroad, but they eventually chose to study overseas because of the language opportunity it offers. The selection process should ensure that students are certain of their decision to study abroad and inform them about the challenges they could face.

To reduce the effects of homesickness, the government should provide students discounted airfares to visit Thailand occasionally.

Conclusion

Regardless of the challenges that the scholarship students faced overseas, they feel grateful that the government is giving needy students, whose family can not afford to pay for higher education, the opportunity to study abroad.

These students are not obliged to work for the government or pay back the scholarship, but are only encouraged to return and work for their respective community.

If the scholarship program is to be continued, the government should ensure a fair and transparent selection process and give adequate language skills for socializing in a different culture.