EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES FOR BURMESE MIGRANT STUDENTS IN TAKUA PA DISTRICT

Abstract

The issue of migrant education is a contested topic in the South East Asian region. The majority of migrant students in Thailand attend non-formal migrant schools which lack a standardised curriculum and cannot offer recognised accreditation, limiting students’ options for post-primary education. Integration into the formal system is essential for providing migrant students with higher education opportunities and opportunities for skilled work in the future. Without such opportunities, the struggle to escape poverty in the migrant community will continue. This research takes three different primary education models available for Burmese students in Takua Pa district, southern Thailand: 1. Thai school, 2. Burmese-run migrant learning centre, 3. Foreign-run community development centre. The research intends to examine the extent to which each model prepares its students for integration into the Thai formal system for completion of compulsory education. The research conducted was predominantly qualitative, involving semi-structured interviews with Grade 6 Burmese students and school teachers and staff. Observations of school and classroom managements were also made. A modified version of the widely-used 4As Framework which is altered to fit the Burmese migrant context is used to examine the fulfilment of the right to education in each model. The research found that some of the barriers to the formal system named by previous studies, such affordability and discrimination, did not exist in Takua Pa. Rather, the most significant barrier was the attitudes of migrant parents. Many parents with a short-term view of their lives in Thailand prioritise paid work over their children’s education. This means the decisions they make regarding their children’s future can deprive them of opportunities for higher education and skilled work. Opportunities for integration are promised with the new MEII curriculum. The MEII hope to standardise the curricula used in migrant schools and create a system of accreditation recognised by both Thailand and Myanmar. This research found that recognition would facilitate integration between the formal and non-formal systems in each country. However, the more immediate problem of poverty among migrant families means children are pulled out of school to work before completion of primary education. The success of the MEII depends on children being able to continue to the end of compulsory education. The research concludes the need for more collaboration between the Ministries of Education in the region to achieve the vision of the MEII. Migrant parents need to be better informed about the options for their children’s education and the importance of their children completing compulsory education to give them the best opportunities for the future.