Like many other Myanmar migrants in Thailand, Ei Shwe Win hopes her children can have access to a good education.
“If my children can study, their lives won’t be as hard as ours,” says Ei Shwe Win, who has been living in Thailand with her family for more than a decade.
Her hopes reflect a broader debate on migrant education, following the Thai government’s closure of six schools for Myanmar migrant children in the southern Surat Thani province in September.
The government said the schools were operating illegally with teachers who didn’t have the legal right to live and work in Thailand.
The closure of the schools highlights the complex challenges facing Thailand’s education system as it grapples with a significant migrant population.
Thailand has 1.58 million registered migrant workers, with over 1.3 million from Myanmar, according to the country’s labor ministry last month.
“Some ask why we should care about Myanmar children when many Thai children lack education. This negative attitude ignores that we can address both issues simultaneously,” said Sompong Srakaew, director of the Labor Rights Promotion Network Foundation, an advocacy group.
“Thai society must not view this through a lens of hatred or racial discrimination,” he told BenarNews.
While operating unregistered schools violates Thai law, the country’s Compulsory Education Act mandates schooling for all children aged seven and above, regardless of nationality.
“If these children remain isolated in construction camps, unable to read or write, they become vulnerable to exploitation,” said Tongpul Buasri, project manager at the Foundation for Better Life of Children.
“Education, in any language, enhances their quality of life,” she said.
RELATED STORIES
Thailand closes 6 schools for Myanmar migrant children in Surat Thani
Surge of Myanmar migrants into Thailand comes with grim costs
Mired in military ‘chaos,’ Myanmar’s junta locked into struggle for survival
National Human Rights Commissioner Wasan Paileeklee believes educating migrant children serves Thailand’s interests.
“Without education, these children face risks of crime, exploitation, labor abuse, and drug involvement – problems that ultimately affect Thai society,” he told BenarNews.
Despite legal and social challenges, advocates say education can bridge cultural gaps and provide migrant children with the skills to build better lives.
“Education enhances dignity, reduces inequality, and benefits all of society,” said Tongpul.
Migrant worker Shaw Aye, Ei Shwe Win’s husband, hopes that Thailand will still give migrant children access to a good education amid the challenges.
“There’s constant fighting in Myanmar. We were scared and fled to Thailand. I’ve worked here for 15 years, and my child was born here.”
BenarNews is an RFA-affiliated online news service.