‘English playgrounds’ to nurture international Thai workforce
I am not a native English speaker, but was born and raised in a multilingual home on a former Dutch colony, 9,000 kilometres from Thailand, with 40 to 50 nationalities.
Dad spoke English, Dutch and the indigenous “A” language, and Mum spoke English. The voice of the BBC floated through the house every morning at 6am.
At home we children spoke Dutch with Dad and English with Mum, elsewhere switching seamlessly between Dutch, indigenous B, English, Spanish and French. All these languages were part of the school curriculum, minus the indigenous ones.
My complex multilingual route to English proficiency could be replicated simply and successfully in Thailand by creating weekend “English playgrounds” in village community centres, where students from rural areas could practise conversing in English.
I suggest the government could easily staff these English playgrounds by easing immigration rules for any willing foreign retirees who passed an English proficiency exam and screening. Top-scoring Thai English-language students could help out at the playgrounds – perhaps in exchange for a guaranteed job with the government. By using existing resources in this playful yet productive way, Thailand could speed up the creation of an English-speaking workforce that it so desperately needs.
Dirk Sumter
