What are the true benefits for migrant children behind this new policy
By C.Guinard
In August 2005, the Thai Cabinet approved a resolution under the auspicious name “Education for All”. The aim of this new law was to allow all children in Thailand equal access to educational opportunities, including migrant children, who were previously deprived of this right.
A long battle by advocacy groups led to this shift of policy at the Ministry of Edu
cation (MoE). Now that the legal ground is open to new perspectives, how this new law will be implemented remains the key challenge.
For more than two decades, Thailand has hosted millions of migrant workers, accompanied by their children. Many have come from Burma but also Cambodia and Laos. Until last August, these children were not legally entitled to attend Thai public schools. On occasion, if the teacher was willing to accept the children and the migrant family could afford it, children could attend classes, but with little hope of getting a Thai certificate indicating their level of education, an essential document to pursue further study.
Today, the number of Burmese migrants in Thailand is an estimated 1.5 million, including thousands of children. Displaced Burmese people and their families flee to Thailand in search of safety, but large numbers also come for reasons such as poverty, limited employment opportunities and low education standards in their homeland. UNICEF reports indicate that in Burma almost 38 per cent of children between the ages of five and nine do not enrol in school and almost 75 per cent of students fail to complete secondary school. It is reported that the Burmese government spends less than $0.28 per child in public education per year. Low family incomes mean children are often pressured into joining the workforce or even into becoming child soldiers.
The situation in Burma’s ethnic States is even more alarming. According to statistics from the All Burma Federation of Student Unions Year 2004 Education Reportt, only 1.6 per cent of the ethnic population attends school, while 32.7 per cent of ethnic people are school aged. Also years of discriminatory policies have led to the banning of teaching ethnic languages even as a second language, affecting millions of ethnic children who are now unable to master their native language. Under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989), it is recognised that all children, regardless of their ethnic background, have a universal right to education. Ironically, Burma ratified this Convention in 1991 and, therefore, is bound by the provision it contains.
Given the above it is easy to understand why so many families finally decide to leave their home country behind, with the lure of better education opportunities in Thailand.
Under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which Thailand is signatory, migrant children from Burma and children born stateless1 in the kingdom should share the same rights to education as Thai children. The fact that Thailand has finally amended its national law to conform with this international principle means that the freedom of equal access to quality education, that children from Burma have longed for, seems an achievable dream in Thailand. According to the “Education for All” Act, Burmese migrant children as well as those from other countries can now access the Thai education system and should be given a certificate at the end of their studies.
Apart from opening a great door of opportunity to migrant children, this new policy is also an encouraging step forward for all groups involved in providing and/or supporting education for migrant communities. But, for now, the reality of implementing such reforms shows a more complex panorama. Indeed, half a year after the law was approved, it is still very difficult for Burmese migrant children to attend Thai public schools. Various factors still prevent many from doing so. Above all, the price for a child to attend Thai school is very expensive for a migrant family. According to Naw Paw Ray, Chairwoman of the Burmese Migrant Worker Ethnic Committee (BMWEC), a migrant network gathering 20 schools in the Mae Sot area, it costs nearly 3,000 Baht (US$76) for a family to buy all the uniforms needed for just one child per year, plus additional expenses for transportation, books and food. This represents a massive sum of money for most migrant families, who earn an average of 1,500-2,000 Baht a month per person, especially when the child who is attending school will have limited opportunity to contribute to the already low family income.
But cost is not the only barrier. Indeed the education you want for your children does not only depend on the price you are willing to pay or what you can actually afford. It is also a question of cultural and philosophical matters: What is the curriculum you want your children to learn, in which language, under which guiding principles and cultural approach? These factors are deeply rooted in the true meaning of “education”. The school environment and the curriculum that children participate in contribute greatly to their development and future role in society.
On the Thai-Burma border, near the town of Mae Sot, Tak province, Thai schools do not teach any Burmese or Karen language in their curriculum. That’s not to say all schools are unwilling to do so, but a lack of proper funds to adapt the curriculum has undermined initiatives taken by dynamic local education officials and school directors to include Burmese or ethnic languages into the Thai curriculum.
It is also true that migrant parents usually prefer their children to be formally taught Burmese culture and language. Indeed, Burmese children are often behind in their studies compared to similar aged Thai students, and it is particularly challenging for these children to study a new curriculum in a language that they have not yet mastered. They often also lack confidence and motivation as there is still, in many cases, no formal recognition of their achievements. Despite the new policy, Thai schools are still reluctant to deliver Thai certificates to migrant children.
Another undermining factor is the challenging living conditions of illegal migrant communities who deal continuously with the fear of arrest and deportation. They are restricted in their movements, further isolating them. Consequently, people are afraid to send their children to Thai schools. Naw Paw Ray from BMWEC explains “because of the low level of communication between Thai schools and migrant communities which has been reinforced over the year by the lack of consistent government policy, many parents don’t even know that their children are now allowed to attend Thai school.”Until all these concerns and constraints are fully addressed, it is improbable that suddenly a high number of Burmese children will apply to attend Thai schools, despite this positive new policy. Indeed, a high number of Burmese migrant children still prefer to attend migrant schools, which are not part of the official Thai Education system, when accessible. There are approximately 100,000 Burmese migrant workers and families living in Mae Sot and Pophra District, Tak Province. In the 2005-2006 academic year about 5000 children were enrolled in 43 Burmese migrant schools with 350 teachers.
A research study by the National Health Education Committee, revealed that in 2004 there were about 10,000 children of illegal migrant workers in and around the Mae Sot area. Among these children 40 per cent did not attend any school, 5 per cent had the opportunity to attend Thai schools and 55 per cent attended illegal migrant schools. Naw Paw Ray is in charge of 20 of these schools. Despite the hardships of overcrowded classes, illegal status and constant financial difficulties, she remains optimistic about the future education of her people, at least in the Mae Sot area. “I’m confident that if we find more support we will be able to reach the children who do not attend any school”. In migrant schools, children learn in their native language and in many cases follow the Burmese educational curriculum with additional courses such as Thai language and computer skills.
The major drawback is that after finally completing high school, these young graduates do not have any prospect to attend university, as their education is not officially recognised by the MoE in Thailand. With no identification papers and no education certificate, hopes for a better future are suddenly dashed.
To overcome this frustrating stalemate, the solution would be to legalise migrant schools as non-formal education providers authorized to deliver recognised certificate. Indeed, the MoE is now looking at ways to register these migrant schools as “Learning Centres”. In consultation with migrant schools and international organisations, the MoE has drafted some guidelines explaining the steps that migrant schools need to follow to fall under MoE jurisdiction. This would then provide the school with recognized status inside Thailand and the capacity to deliver certificates to its students. The MoE is currently finalising this proposal before submitting it to the Cabinet for approval.
The “Education for All” Act and the likely forthcoming registration of migrant schools as “Learning Centres”, launched by the MoE in the past months, are truly encouraging initiatives. However to make the most of these new opportunities, much more needs to be done. Bangkok must allocate additional funds to educational district offices for better curriculum development and policy strategy implementation. Adequate financial support must also be provided to Thai schools to ensure they are able to cope with the higher running costs associated with the influx of migrant children to the schools.
More effort must be put into developing collaboration and trust between migrant schools, Thai schools and education district officials at the local level. Without a doubt, the registration of migrant schools as legal learning centres will be the first symbolic and constructive step. Let’s hope that no petty internal fighting among some of the decision-makers at the MoE will affect the future of these ambitious educational reforms, the sole beneficiaries of which are children.
Endnotes:
According to the Nationality Act of 1965 (amended in 1992), even though Burmese displaced children are born on Thai soil, they are not granted Thai citizenship. Sources: Burma Lawyer Council and Refugee International
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