Thailand could become an education hub for Chinese students due to its comparatively low tuition fees and high-quality international schools, according to an education expert.
Howard Wu, an education specialist and adviser of Bromsgrove International School Thailand (BIST), said Chinese parents are now sending their children to study abroad as the number of wealthy families in China continues to grow.
Data from China's Ministry of Education showed the total number of outbound students reached an all time high in 2015. It indicated that more than 523,000 Chinese students headed abroad to study which represented a 13.9% increase on 2014.
Another survey by a research group called Hurun also found that more than 80% of wealthy Chinese planned to send their children overseas to study at some point.
"More and more Chinese parents are seeking overseas education for their children as foreign degrees remain an excellent calling card with Chinese employers. Therefore, sending children to study abroad is becoming a normal consumption pattern for a growing group of affluent Chinese," Mr Wu said.
Mr Wu said apart from the US and the UK, Thailand is now one of the top destinations for Chinese students.
Moreover, this trend is no longer exclusive to higher-level education, but includes elementary school and middle-school levels.
The number of Chinese students in Thai tertiary institutions grew from 4,618 in 2011 to 6,157 in 2015.
Thailand's strengths include its strategic geographical location at the centre of Southeast Asia, the sheer number of international schools, the variety of curricula on offer and the comparatively low tuition fees, he said.
"Tuition fees at Thailand's international schools are cheaper compared with Malaysia and Singapore, but [the schools] offer the same high standards as those in the UK or the US and when compared to sending children to a UK boarding school where fees are 50% more expensive, Thailand's international schools suddenly appear great value," Mr Wu said.
Mr Wu said BIST last year saw an increasing number of Mandarin-speaking students. There are over 10 Chinese students studying at the BIST now and the trend is likely to rise.
As a result, BIST will launch its new Chinese Support Programme for Mandarin Chinese-speaking students next academic year to support Chinese students who wish to return to China to study at university.
Daniel Moore, CEO and headmaster of BIST, said he believes Thailand has a huge opportunity over the next 15-20 years to become an educational hub in Asia, not only for Chinese students.
"Thailand's friendly environment, its central and easily accessible location, the expertise of its teachers in every field of study, the standards of educational institutions, and low tuition fees give Thailand the advantage in its aspiration to be Asia's international education hub," he said.