CHINESE LANGUAGE PROGRAMS IN THE SOUTH

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BANGKOK 004480

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/24/2016
TAGS: PREL PGOV KPAO PTER TH CH TW
SUBJECT: CHINESE LANGUAGE PROGRAMS IN THE SOUTH

REF: BANGKOK 4254

BANGKOK 00004480 001.2 OF 002


Classified By: Political Counselor Susan M. Sutton, Reasons 1.4 (B) (D)


1. (C) SUMMARY. As Chinese television dramas and the
prospects for better-paying jobs for Chinese speakers
increase, Chinese language learning programs have taken off
in the southern Songkhla Province. Along with for-profit
cram schools, various Chinese associations there have opened
their own language schools. Though interest in Mandarin
Chinese is high, supply may have overpaced demand.
Nationwide, there are currently more than 350 PRC volunteer
teachers in Thai grade schools and universities. The
Cross-Strait competition between Beijing and Taipei to
influence Thailand's Chinese educational system may be coming
to an end -- with the PRC as the victor -- as China plans to
conclude a standardized Mandarin Chinese curriculum with the
Royal Thai Government (RTG) in the coming year. While
enthusiasm has somewhat dimmed for Japanese language classes,
interests in learning English remains strong. End summary.


CHINESE: WHO'S LEARNING IT AND WHY?
--------------


2. (C) As part of post's ongoing effort to report on the
ethnic-Chinese Thai and PRC influence in Thailand, Poloff
visited a number of Chinese-language schools in Songkhla
Province to explore the rise in Chinese influence on Thai
education. This is the second of two cables (reftel).


3. (SBU) Interest in learning Mandarin Chinese has increased
dramatically over the past few years in Songkhla Province for
both adolescents and their parents. Whereas many of the
teenagers cite the desire to understand the ever-popular
Chinese television dramas (from both China and Taiwan) as the
impetus for their studies, adults and college students want
to learn Chinese because of higher-paying job prospects. An
increasing number of parents are enrolling their children
into Chinese language schools for the latter reason.


4. (C) Besides ethnic-Chinese Thai, ethnic-Thai and a small
minority of the ethnic Malay-Muslims students in Songkhla are
also enrolling into the Mandarin programs. In Sri Nakhorn
(Guo Guang) School, where more than 3,600 students are
enrolled from kindergarten through high school, and
Mandarin-Chinese is a required "elective" alongside English,
about ten percent of its student population are ethnic
Malay-Muslims. At Songkhla's Thaksin University's Chinese
Department, four of the forty students majoring in Chinese
are ethnic Malay-Muslims.


SUPPLY GREATER THAN DEMAND
--------------


5. (SBU) The increasing popularity of Mandarin Chinese in
Songkhla has prompted all thirteen various Chinese
associations (reftel) to open up their own Chinese language
schools. As a result, the number of Chinese language
programs in the province has increased dramatically from five
to twenty since 2000. Moreover, the five major Chinese
associations joined with the Sri Nakhorn Alumni Association
to fund the Sri Nakhorn School, one of the largest "for
charity" public schools (from kindergarten to high school) in
Hat Yai with a Mandarin Chinese requirement. This school was
opened with the intention of providing students from poor
families with the means to study both Chinese and English.


6. (C) While the Chinese associations and the Sri Nakhorn
School charge very little tuition, Xu Ren Lai, the owner of
the Hat Yai Chinese Language Institute, operates his cram
school for profit. Xu explained that he is losing money
because there are "too many Chinese association schools" that
charge far less. However, Xu states that he will continue to
operate his cram school because it's become "a personal
interest" (his "main business," a packing company, is right
next door to the school). Interestingly, many of the schools
operated by the different Chinese associations are also in
the red. Chang Mu Fa, President of the Taiwanese-Thai
Association of Hat Yai, admitted that his association's
school, too, was losing money and are dependent upon member
contributions. He explained that he intends to continue
providing classes because he "wanted to pass on the Chinese
cultural and linguistics tradition to the next generation."



BANGKOK 00004480 002.2 OF 002


CHOICES: ARMY OF VOLUNTEERS OR THE BOOK FAIRY?
-------------- -


7. (C) As interest rises in Mandarin Chinese, China and
Taiwan both appear to view Mandarin training as an
opportunity to expand influence. According to Wu Guo Ting,
Consul at the Chinese Consulate General in Songkhla, there
are "more than 350 volunteers from various Chinese teacher
colleges" presently teaching in Thailand. In Sri Nakhorn
School alone, there are eighteen freshly-minted Chinese
language teachers from Chongqing Normal University.
Approximately eight teachers from Yunnan Normal University
are currently teaching at the smaller Taihua Middle School,
also in Hat Yai. At the university level, Yunnan Normal
University recently set up a sister-school 2 year exchange
program with Songkhla's Thaksin University, where students
study in both provinces.


8. (SBU) Of note, a number of volunteer teachers from China
admitted to Poloff in private that they planned to remain in
Thailand after their contract terms expire. They believe
interests in learning Chinese in Thailand will lead to better
job opportunities for them here compared to what awaits them
in their native provinces.


9. (C) Whereas the Mainland Chinese are flooding Thailand's
Chinese language programs with native speakers, the Taiwanese
do not send teachers. Instead, they are distributing, free
of charge, as many Chinese language books and curriculum
plans as local schools request. New versions of Taiwan's
glossy, picture-filled books even use Thai phonetics in their
pronunciation guides and feature happy Thai children (instead
of Chinese) in the books' illustrations. But as attractive
and culturally-sensitive as these books may be, the
Thai-Taiwanese Association conceded that the RTG is currently
working with the PRC to standardize a national Chinese
language curriculum.


WHAT ABOUT ENGLISH?
--------------


10. (C) The rising interest in learning Chinese does not
seem to adversely affect people's desire to learn English.
It appears that people are seeing Mandarin Chinese to be the
"third language" to add to their resumes. Higher-paying jobs
such as tour guides and flight attendants still require
English. Employers tend to view Chinese as an
added-incentive to hire a particular applicant. Even Sri
Nakhorn School, where Chinese signs are juxtaposed against
every Thai sign, mandates more English to be taught than
Mandarin. Japanese language learning, however, may have
suffered a blow in Songkhla. Cin Ang, Lecturer of the
Japanese Program at Thaksin University, noted that the number
of new students majoring in Japanese has decreased
fifty-percent ever since the Chinese language major was
established.
ARVIZU