New trend in China?

Many Chinese families see Thailand as a place where their children can receive a quality education at international schools with a more relaxed curriculum.

Many Chinese parents want to move their families to Southeast Asian countries to reduce the pressure of studying for their children. (Source: Global Times)

According to Mr. Jenson Zhang, operator of Vision Education, an education consultancy that specializes in serving parents who want to settle in Southeast Asia, many middle-class families in this country choose Thailand because tuition fees are cheaper than private schools in Beijing and Shanghai.

“The affordable standard of living in Southeast Asia, the convenient visa process, the living environment and the attitude of the people towards Chinese people make parents feel safe here,” said Mr. Zhang.

A 2023 survey by private education company New Oriental found that Chinese families are increasingly considering Singapore and Japan as study abroad destinations for their children. However, tuition fees and living standards in these two countries are much higher than in Thailand.

In the land of the Golden Temples, cities with a peaceful pace of life like Chiang Mai are always the top choice. Pattaya and Phuket are also popular destinations besides the capital Bangkok but have a more expensive cost of living. This trend has been going on for the past decade and has become more vibrant in recent years.

Lanna International School, one of Chiang Mai's most selective schools, has seen a surge in interest for the 2022-2023 school year, with the number of people requesting information about the school doubling compared to the previous year.

Ms. Grace Hu, an admissions officer at Lanna School, said Chinese parents are in a hurry to move their children to a new learning environment due to restrictions from the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to Vision Education, parents who want to send their children to Chiang Mai fall into two groups: those who have already planned their children’s education path and those who struggle with China’s highly competitive education system. The latter group is the majority.

In Chinese society, parents place such importance on education that many are willing to quit their jobs and rent a house next to the school to take care of their children. These people are often called “schoolmates”, a child’s excellent academic performance sometimes comes at the cost of the parents’ lives.

There is a reality in modern Chinese society that success means graduating from a prestigious university. With limited enrollment, class rank and grades are always placed at the forefront, especially the results achieved in the rigorous university entrance examination, commonly known as gaokao.

In Chiang Mai, education allows students time to develop interests.

Jiang Wenhui moved from Shanghai to Chiang Mai in 2023. While in China, Jiang seemed to have accepted that her son Rodney had average grades because of his mild attention deficit disorder. She spent all her time closely monitoring his every move, helping him keep up with his studies, attending extra classes and maintaining his grades.

In Thailand, Rodney chose to play guitar and piano in addition to learning English. He gradually had time to pursue his hobbies and did not need to seek treatment for his attention deficit disorder.

Mr. Wang, another parent who also sent his child to Chiang Mai to study, said he has changed his views on education and believes that success is not reflected in grades.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/dua-con-toi-thai-lan-hoc-tap-xu-huong-moi-o-trung-quoc-285096.html