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Published on August 11, 2007

The One District One Scholarship programme kicked off in 2004 on a grand scale, with 921 students awarded grants to further their studies overseas. They were soon followed by 915 others in the second year. In sharp contrast, the third batch of students, who are still waiting for government approval, is only 400 strong.

To Punrung Puntuhong, the Civil Service Commission's expert on overseas education, this is one of the changes that educators have introduced to the scheme to ensure that it will continue under a reduced budget and the threat of abolition.

The CSS has also come up with a long-term plan to have officers assist students in choosing destinations, which are assigned according to their grades. Grade A students can choose any country, while a smaller list of countries is on offer for Grade B students. Meanwhile, Grade C students are encouraged to enrol in local universities. While their grade percentage averages (GPA) must stand above 3, in the future the students must also pass a central examination and aptitude tests.

"The project should not be scrapped as this scholarship is the only opportunity for students from the provinces to study overseas. Their access to information and their ability to compete with city kids is lower. They are talented but lack access to higher tuition like city kids," Punrung said.

The project, launched in the Thaksin era, apparently to please voters, has been renamed the Scholarship for Community Development. In line with new policies, educators have adjusted the project's framework in several ways.

In the second batch, students were barred from studying law, international relations and liberal arts, which require proficiency in English. While the students were required to take language courses for 1-2 years, it was feared they might not become fluent enough to finish their bachelor's degree in 4 years. Thus they would come home empty-handed at the end of the 6-year scholarship (1-2 years for language study plus 4 years for a degree).

To save costs, some have now been urged to take language courses in Thailand before departure.

It is estimated that these students will require Bt1 million a year in tuition fees and other expenses.

Due to the costs and uncertainty of success, in the third batch, the 400 students are obliged to study in fields which benefit their communities but which are not available in Thailand. The destinations are limited to countries that use English as the mother tongue. These students are also required to work for the government on their return, or pay compensation.

Today there will be a discussion on the future of the project, which is financed mainly through proceeds from the 2- and 3-digit lotteries. The discussion takes place amid reports that 10 per cent of the first batch of students have returned from abroad to enrol in Thai universities.

Education Minister Wijit Srisa-arn attributed the returns to language problems and the likelihood that they would not complete their studies in time. These students' weak educational backgrounds also added to their difficulties.

Two years ago an Odos student in Germany jumped from a building in frustration.

Despite the reports, Punrung is confident that 70 per cent of the first batch of students will complete their studies.

"For such students who have never received higher tuition, the rate of success is beyond our expectations. Originally we thought only half of them would return home with degrees," he said.

While students in the first batch chose whatever subject and country interested them, the next set of students learnt to adjust. Through electronic communications with their predecessors, they learnt of hardships in some countries and thus opted for new destinations and new fields.

A source at the Office of the Civil Service Commission said a total of 98 students had returned to continue their studies in Thailand, three had resigned from the scholarship and one had died.

Most students had problems regarding language and educational background - although these were upcountry students with an average grade between 3.0 to 4.0. Their academic backgrounds were not as strong as Bangkok students, thus when continuing in undergraduate studies they faced the problem of low grade averages, he said.

The very low average grades in the first year made some students worry they might not be able to complete the programme in 6 years as the government required, so they decided to come back to Thailand, the source said.

"They weren't sure when or if they would complete the degrees and feared they might have to pay for the programmes. On the other hand, by coming back to study in Thai universities, they still had the scholarships and some credits could also be transferred," the source said.

He said that of the 183 Odos recipients studying in France - the most for any country - 40 later returned to Thailand.

Most students passed university entrance exams to study in fields such as engineering, hospitality, and economics, he said, adding that French universities were "easy to get into but difficult to get out of".

The first batch of Odos students in Italy also faced language difficulties, causing 15 out of the original 69 to prematurely return to Thailand, he said. After that, only 14 Odos students from the second batch chose Italy - possibly because most had heard from their predecessors about the language difficulty.

He also cited Germany as another place where the students found it tough because they were required to study German for two years, then study another year at a college before starting a bachelor's degree. Eighteen of the 84 students sent to Germany returned to study in Thailand and one committed suicide.

In India, five students graduated from their three-year bachelor's degree programmes because they did not have to take language courses, as Indian universities used the English language, the source added.

However, the source insisted that the students who returned to Thailand should not be regarded as academic failures. But most had problems learning the new languages. He said officials providing student guidance were instructed to give advice and help make decisions on where students should study. They were also told to identify those whose performance was not up to par and who might not complete their overseas studies.

"It will still benefit the kingdom. We still gain, as investment in education is not a total waste," he added.

Chularat Saengpassa

The Nation