Is poor English proficiency holding Thailand back?
The government of Thailand has been working hard to make it a world-class destination for not just tourists, but digital nomads and business and technology innovators. But do the people of Thailand speak English well enough to fully attract these business opportunities?
Thailand is ranked second to last among the countries that make up the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). It is ahead of only Laos, which is ranked dead last out of 111 countries in the EF English Proficiency Index. Singapore is the top-ranked ASEAN member and number two globally. Thailand, however, barely cracked the top 100, ranked 97th.
Experts attribute Thailand’s low level of English proficiency to a combination of factors including overall structural problems in the Thai education system and cultural barriers. The low language proficiency levels can have a domino effect on education and career opportunities down the line. Not only can language barriers directly impact job opportunities, but fluency in English can open up the opportunity for students to study abroad and get access to better education worldwide.
Education in Thailand, like in many other nations around the world, struggles with quality disparities for different socioeconomic levels and social classes. The quality of education available can vary greatly and this problem was only exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic.
During that time, schools were shuttered and the only option for learning was online classes. Poor families might not have the resources necessary for a student to do online home learning, such as a computer or tablet, or even inappropriate space to set up for school work. Plus, children from more affluent families can afford opportunities to get educated outside of the public school system.
Advocates for improving English language education in the kingdom say that now is the time and call on the government of Thailand to take action, as Thailand Business News reports. As tourism is suddenly recovering in leaps and bounds, travellers are looking at Thailand as the top travel destination. An improvement in the English spoken on the ground will only help tourism flourish and fuel revenue growth.
Tourism accounts for about 15% of the gross domestic product of the country, the Thai government has vigilantly pursued foreign investment in business and technology. The low level of English proficiency decreases Thailand’s attractiveness to international investment opportunities that now facing stiff competition from countries like Indonesia and Vietnam.
