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 Russian, French, German and Other Languages to be Taught at Open Gates School
Beginning in the 2008 Fall term at Open
Gates Educational Centre in Bangrak, the school will offer a total of
six languages to study for their students. English, French, German,
Russian, Spanish and Thai languages will be available to choose from
for students who want or need a second or third language. The diversity
of teachers available to teach these languages demonstrates Open
Gates’ continued endeavor for becoming a world-class
international school. Open Gates will be the only school in all of
southern Thailand, including Phuket, to offer such a wide range of
foreign languages. As well, very few schools in Bangkok offer such a
large selection of languages to their students.
“A lot of parents wish for their children to be able to
communicate in their mother language,” says Dr. Claus Meyer, who
opened the school about three years ago. “Also, Open Gates’
motto is ‘Building Global Citizens,’ and by having these
languages to teach to the students it puts a lot of emphasis on
solidifying that idea and goal. We feel this will greatly improve an
already excellent standard of education in our school.”
Another very important reason to offer these language classes is for
the Cambridge University International General Certificate of Secondary
Education (IGCSE) exams. These exams, which are mandatory for
university bound students, can only be administered at Open Gates on
Koh Samui. Except for Thai there are IGCSE exams for English, French,
German, Russian and Spanish –as a second language-which, when
passed, will give the student a certificate in that language proving
that they are proficient in reading, writing and comprehension of that
particular language.
Dr. Claus wants each and every student to learn at least two IGCSE
languages. “In today’s world, the more languages a person
can speak the more that person will understand the world around
them,” says Dr. Claus.
For more information on the IGCSE exams and how and why Open Gates is
the only school authorized to administer the tests, please visit www.opengates-samui.com/news.
Except for French language, which will temporarily only be offered as a
second language, all of the other languages will be available as a
first or second language selection. For example, a Thai student will
have Thai as their first language and English as their second. The
student will take their IGCSE exams in the Thai language and then they
will also take the English IGCSE exam to prove their efficiency in the
English language.
A German student, for example, might have German as their first (or
native) language with English being their second choice. Obviously,
since the school teaches in English, every student will have English as
one of their languages.
For students who have English as their primary tongue, they must choose
a second language, and even though Thai language lessons are mandatory
in the school, there are no IGCSE exams for Thai as a second language;
so therefore, the student must select from the one of the other
available languages. Upon graduation from Open Gates, a native English
speaker will know at least three languages (English, Thai and a third
choice).
The students seem more than happy that they will get the chance to
study another foreign language. “I have always wanted to learn
French because I hope to visit and maybe live there one day. When I
found out that I will be able to learn it here at Open Gates, I was
extremely excited! All my friends here want to study the other
languages too,” said one Open Gates student.
By offering these extra language options to their students Open Gates
is proving that they are exceedingly devoted to offering the finest and
most diverse education available to Koh Samui’s children.
“Our outstanding curriculum already sets us apart from the other
local schools, and when we open our new Thai Ministry of Education
approved international campus early next year, combined with the new
language offerings, Open Gates will truly become a prestigious
education centre. No other school on Koh Samui, or in the south of
Thailand for that matter, will be able to match Open Gates’
educational offerings,” Dr. Claus comments.
Language Classes for Everyone
Open Gates is not just limiting these language classes to just their
enrolled students either. Beginning with the Fall semester which begins
on September 8th, the school will offer English, Russian, Spanish and
Thai language classes in the evenings for anyone who wants to come. Dr.
Claus says these classes will be for beginners who want to learn or
improve a certain language. The classes will be held two or three
nights a week and the costs are still being worked out. However, Dr.
Claus ensures that the prices will be very comparable, if not better,
than what other language schools are offering on the island.
“All of our language course teachers have their Qualified Teacher
Status (QTS) certificates, and they also have a lot of experience in
teaching. I think people attending our language classes will benefit
greatly from each teacher’s experience,” says Dr. Claus.
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