Promising Connections

Dr Virachai Techavichit with Global Connect students at a ceremony to honour Patricia Metham, The Regent’s new principal.

The international student body at the Pattaya campus of The Regent's School has a unique Eastern European flavour, to the benefit of all concerned

Editor’s note: Jinda Wedel is a graduate of the New International School of Thailand (NIST) and has just completed her first year at the University of North Carolina in the United States.

Eia Uus, second left, takes part in Thai as well as Estonian culture.

Eia, tall, blue-eyed, with her straight blonde hair tied in a pony-tail, sits on her neatly-made bed, oblivious to the heat which must have been uncomfortable, at least during her first months in Thailand. The climate in her home country Estonia is much cooler.

“When I said I was applying to this school, they said, ‘You’re not going to make it, you’re a small town country girl.’” she says, describing the reaction of the teachers at her previous school.

Eia Uus was the first student to take part in a new scholarship programme called Global Connect, which gives students from Eastern Europe a chance to study at The Regent’s School in Pattaya. What attracted her most, besides the financial aid, was The Regent’s ability to provide an education in English.

Travelling to Thailand to study in English, like Eia has, is an unusual phenomenon. Most Thais tend to believe it’s the other way around – students have to leave Thailand to hone their English language skills; the logical course is to study in a Western country.

This year, almost a hundred eastern European students challenged this belief by applying to Global Connect. They saw The Regent’s Pattaya as their chance to live and study an internationally-accepted curriculum in an English-speaking environment.

Eia is arguably the programme’s proudest achievement; her outgoing sensibility has earned her the unnamed position of “head student” in the school. Despite being a non-native speaker of English — she speaks nine other languages — Eia thrived in Thailand. She now speaks English with ease and energy, but she remembers that it wasn’t always so. Her mark on the admissions math programme was 12 percent, because she did not know any of the math terms. Nowadays, she says, “I get A pluses.”

Along with impressive grades in her A-levels in business studies, English literature and math, Eia’s extra-curricular activities are countless. She is head of the student guild and served as editor of the school magazine. In her spare time, she is involved in music and drama productions, community service and football. None of these activities were available to her at her Estonian high school. The opportunity to get involved in so many activities was what led her to consider going to school in Thailand, despite knowing very little about it.

“We looked Thailand up in the encyclopaedia, and they didn’t say anything about shops, so we thought they didn’t have any.” Eia arrived in Thailand with boxes of shampoo, toothpaste and other supplies. Nowadays shopping in the big malls of Pattaya with her friends is a favourite pastime.

The staff describes her as “aggressive” and “innovative”. Her vivacious independence allowed her to continue her studies in Thailand despite having to watch her only three friends from Estonia return home after one year. They had missed Estonia, and were concerned about admission to Estonian universities. Eia however, was determined to stay. She graduates this summer, having spent four years in Thailand.

Morten Ritso in his single dorm room. The stuffed animal, he says, was a gift from his friends.

Morten Ritso, an 11^th grade student from Estonia, is another prime example of Global Connect’s success. He perches on the edge of his bed, sandy-haired and tanned from football, and solemnly speaks about his decision to apply to Global Connect. Morten realised that his dream of studying at a foreign university would be difficult to achieve if he studied in his previous Estonian high school, which does not have an internationally accepted curriculum. He was thinking of going to the UK when he found out about Global Connect, and decided to apply.

When asked if he was nervous during the admissions interview, he chuckles, “I’m a debater, so I’m used to being cross examined and questioned and shouted at.”

Morten seems genuinely dedicated to his education, which is at the moment The Regent’s new IB programme. He takes higher-level history, chemistry and biology courses in addition to standard level math and English. He also does a self-study course in Estonian. The workload is strenuous and takes up most of his time, but, as he says “I didn’t come here to go out.”

Hayk Harutyunyan chats with another Global Connect scholar, Sirley Salk.

Hayk Harutyunyan is a 10^th grader from Armenia. He describes his family as “traditional Armenian”. Hayk was considering studying in Moscow when his father mentioned Global Connect. Hayk took the admissions exam almost on the spur of the moment and was accepted. He too knew little about Thailand.

“The first websites I saw of Thailand showed jungles, like paradise,” says Hayk, amused.

The dark-haired boy left Armenia and his family, to arrive early in Pattaya and find only an empty school. Even as the term began, he constantly found himself alone. While others gathered and chatted in their native languages, Hayk was the only one in the entire school who spoke Armenian. The language everyone else shared was English, his third language. Although he was more comfortable with his second language, Russian, it was still some months before he met a Russian-speaking student, whom Hayk calls “Big Alex”.

It’s clear that Hayk is now past the loneliness of his first few months, and he chats excitedly about Global Connect. He plans to return to The Regent’s next year, despite his difficult first year.

The ability of the scholars to adapt and flourish in an international community seems to be integral to the success of Global Connect. Hayk seems to be talking about himself when he says that strength of character, independence and an ability to withstand solitude are traits that a Global Connect student might need.

“Global Connect makes you ready for your life,” says Hayk.

Global Connect is the product of the ideas and unique position of one man — Dr Virachai Techavichit — Chairman of The Regent’s School and Honorary Consul of Estonia. He is a lively speaker, perhaps owing to his political background, and he describes the early stages of Global Connect with ease and familiarity.

When Dr Virachai was appointed Honorary Consul of Estonia in 1998, he began to look for ways to satisfy his new role and position within the international community. A scholarship for Estonian students was the natural choice due to his involvement with The Regent’s, and in March 1999, he made his first trip to Estonia.

By April, the Estonian Education Ministry had advertised a nationwide competition for admission to the Global Connect programme. On offer were two 100 percent scholarships and two 80 percent scholarships, each worth over twenty thousand dollars, awarded according to performance on an exam designed by The Regent’s. The scholarships included tuition, books, initial fees, supplementary English classes as well as room and board.

Dr Virachai met with parents and schools of prospective students, arriving with videos, pictures and words of assurance. It would be crucial for parents to see The Regent’s as a school that not only shared their ideas on their children’s academic needs, but their social and psychological needs as well.

The Regent’s stringent rules are part of the reason parents, who have never visited the school, are willing to entrust their children to The Regent’s care. The school operates a no-tolerance policy — no alcohol, inappropriate behaviour or pornography. If the students are accepted, they have to sign a Code of Conduct pledge.

“We never talk about drugs because that’s just beyond our thinking,” says Dr Virachai. Social outings are carefully monitored and planned; there are roll calls every morning and evening and mealtimes are fixed.

Six months after Dr Virachai first stepped foot in Estonia, four Global Connect students finally arrived in Pattaya. The students had crossed only the smallest hurdle — admission. The most difficult part of the programme — living far from all they knew — was to come later.

Although three of the students ultimately left, the next year brought more Estonian scholars. It soon became clear that the students were succeeding both academically and socially in their new environment.

Word spread quickly through Bangkok diplomatic circles, thanks to Dr Virachai’s position. Dr Virachai was approached by Ambassador Sabev for Bulgaria, who was impressed by the level of English the Estonian scholars had learned while in The Regent’s.

In 2001, Bulgaria joined Global Connect. As Global Connect’s reputation spread, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Armenia joined as well in 2002. Their recent emergence onto the international scene and lack of connections to Thailand meant that there was fertile ground for developing relationships. In addition, their top students could become part of an international network.

“By not coming outside of Estonia, they limit their exposure, their thinking and their vision only to the Estonian environment,” says Dr Virachai. An international community, made up of international students who have a deeper understanding of other cultures, would be key to improving worldwide relations.

Patricia Metham, the school’s principal, calls the programme “enlightened self-interest”. It gives foreign students an international education and at the same time adds another dimension to the existing student community.

Global Connect scholars constantly interact with the international community. The students are sometimes chosen by embassies to represent their countries whenever there is an event. During national festivals and celebrations, each student teaches the school and community about their culture.

Global Connect currently contributes five of the thirty-four countries represented in the student population at The Regent’s Pattaya: Estonia, Slovakia, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic and Armenia. Of the twenty-four students currently enrolled in the Global Connect programme, fourteen are Estonian. Six are graduating this year, but more students are expected from Romania, Hungary and Poland which have recently joined Global Connect.

In the future, Dr Virachai aims to expand the scope of Global Connect across Europe, but expects to limit the number of scholarships to thirty students or fewer.

A sister programme to Global Connect, Diplomat Connect, is also a creation of Dr Virachai. Aimed at embassy children and launched just this year, it is already attracting interest from two or three countries.

“It’s the idea of giving free education in exchange for having a top scholar,” says Dr Virachai. Like Global Connect, Diplomat Connect will yield far-reaching benefits for their countries as well as to the school.

The Global Connect programme is off to a strong start and is gaining momentum. It benefits Thai students, international students and their home countries as well. Asked for advice for those considering the programme, Eia gave the thumbs up sign.

“Go for it!”

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Last modified: June 30, 2003