Bangkok--3 Feb--Baldwin Boyle Group
Twenty-six of New Zealand’s top university students visited Thailand last week as part of their government’s efforts to improve understanding of Thailand and ASEAN.
The group from Victoria University of Wellington had a busy itinerary, including meetings at King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi and Chulalongkorn University to learn about Thailand’s economy and politics, visits to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the International Organization for Migration, and a trip to whiteware manufacturer Fisher & Paykel’s factory in Rayong.
New Zealand’s Ambassador to Thailand, Reuben Levermore, who hosted the students at an Embassy function, said their visit is part of New Zealand’s outreach to Thailand and to Asia.
“It’s great to see some of New Zealand’s brightest students, our leaders of the future, coming to Thailand to improve their understanding of the country,” said Mr Levermore.
“New Zealand has long enjoyed a close relationship with Thailand and the wider region, and this year marks the 40th anniversary of our relationship with ASEAN. Education ties have been particularly strong – more than 3,000 Thai students are currently studying in New Zealand, benefiting from our world-class education system and our welcoming environment.”
Victoria’s academic co-ordinator for the mainland SEA sector of the course, Dr. Malcolm McKinnon, says one of the aims of the current visit is to help the students overcome any stereotypical assumptions they have about countries like Thailand, allowing them to see things for themselves and form their own views.
“Many also get to form relationships with their young counterparts in Thailand and other ASEAN countries, which will prove valuable to both parties in their future careers.”
Before Thailand, the Victoria students visited Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, with Myanmar, Malaysia and Indonesia is next on their itinerary. The trip is funded by the New Zealand Prime Minister’s Scholarships for Asia programme, managed by Education New Zealand (ENZ), which provides mainly undergraduate students with first-hand experience of the region, helping them to improve their understanding of Southeast Asia countries and build lasting connections and relationships.
Christopher Brunt, a Law and Economics student, said “It’s been very exciting to expand my world by traveling to ASEAN, which has been an unforgettable experience”. One of the differences he had observed between ASEAN countries and New Zealand was the difficulty many young people in the region faced in getting an education, which made their eventual achievements all the more impressive.
Diana Tam, also a Law and Economics student, said the trip had given her many new perspectives on ASEAN countries, with hands-on experiences topping learning from textbooks or the classroom.