Education of Burmese Children in Thailand (Photo Album)

Many people who flee persecution from Burma to Thailand are unable to enter the camps as refugees and are therefore ‘classed’ as migrants in Thailand.

There are as many as one million migrants from Burma in Thailand. With limited rights many of these migrants are employed in  D irty,  D ifficult and  D angerous low paid jobs. And what about their children?

 

Though under Thai law all children regardless of status should be able to access the Thai education system the reality is that due to many barriers most migrant children are unable to do so.

These barriers range from fear of the authorities, through to lacking the income to cover school costs such as uniforms and books and not being able to speak the Thai language. An added problem is that education gained in Burma is not recognised in Thailand.  Even if a child has completed secondary school in Burma, they still have to start their Thai education from primary school.

Parents also fear that sending their children to Thai schools will identify their whereabouts and they will be deported back to Burma. Furthermore, these schools do not teach their languages or anything about their culture.

 The result is that many of these children are either forced to work in difficult conditions with their parents or are left at home in cramped and unhygienic conditions, often without minders. Many are consequently found wandering the streets and are vulnerable to all sorts of abuse, trafficking and exploitation.