‘Our so-called government has shown no interest at all’—Foundation for Education and Development director Htoo Chit

The Myinttar Yeink Bang Kung Learning Centre in southern Thailand’s Surat Thani Province, which provided education to over 1,000 children of Myanmar migrant workers, was shut down on September 4 following pressure from Thai authorities. Following the move, uncertainty looms over the future of other schools for the children of migrant workers in Thailand. To learn more about this situation, Myanmar Now spoke to Htoo Chit, the executive director of the Foundation for Education and Development (FED), located in Phang-Nga Province in southern Thailand. The FED operates five branch offices and two learning centres in Mae Sot and Mae Hong Son. The conversation addressed the educational needs of children of Myanmar migrant workers and explored what preparations and considerations are necessary for their education. Myanmar Now: With the rise in the number of Myanmar migrants to Thailand since the 2021 military coup, what key steps are needed to support the education of their children, and what preparations should be undertaken? Htoo Chit: Most migrant workers are blue-collar workers performing basic manual tasks. However, since the military coup, there has been an influx of professional migrant workers, often referred to as “skilled labour.” Notably, this includes healthcare workers and educators. Those who have sought refuge in Thailand include a range of professionals, from nurses and clinical physicians to primary and university educators. Thai society has begun to engage in discussions about this situation. It is essential to advocate for modifications to current laws in Thailand. To effectively support these efforts, comprehensive data is needed from research studies detailing how many educators, healthcare professionals, journalists, engineers, and others have relocated to the country. A significant concern relates to the regulations imposed by the Thai government on Myanmar migrant workers. It is crucial to prepare for potential changes to these laws. While communicating with the Thai government is important, opposition politicians articulated these issues more effectively during a hearing in the Thai parliament on September 12. They cautioned that shutting down schools would have serious repercussions and emphasised the vital role of migrant workers’ education in the societal and developmental progress of both Thailand and Myanmar. They highlighted Thailand’s commitment to the 2015 Education For All policy and its signing of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), criticising the government for not upholding these obligations. Shutting down schools, they said, is a major embarrassment for Thailand, and they called for allocating a budget to address the issue. Similar proposals have been brought up in parliament. A student is seen in a school for the children of Myanmar migrant workers in Bangkok in 2018 (EPA) As Thai human rights activists, politicians, and the government turn their attention to the education of migrant workers, the role of Myanmar society and those who claim to represent the Myanmar government has become increasingly important. Unfortunately, we lack systematic preparation. Instead, many operate with a simplistic approach—believing that building a school for around 30 children and charging 1,000 Thai baht per child will generate 30,000 baht. This basic mindset, focused solely on these calculations, drives many to open schools. If we are to effectively provide education for migrant workers, transparency is crucial. We must adhere to Thai government laws and seek support from local Thais to establish schools. I am convinced that migrant schools should be available in all regions, and we need to adopt a more systematic approach. The international community continues to voice concerns, and the Thai government has urged us to take necessary steps. Yet, it is shocking that our so-called government, with 4 to 6 million citizens living abroad, has neither made preparations nor shown interest. This negligence is a serious threat to the country. MN: What do you make of the recent closure of schools for migrant workers’ children in Thailand? HC: If you live in Thailand, you need to teach and ensure compliance with Thai laws, customs, traditions, and the monarchy system. The case in Surat Thani is surprising for those working on migrant worker issues. Even Thai authorities themselves come to us and ask what help they can provide in schools. Some Thai people themselves feel bad about what’s happening. At the same time, we see our people coming to another country and doing whatever they want. If they want to open a school, they just open it without consulting or organising with anyone. They just collect money. They don’t keep financial records. Opening schools for migrant children has become a business venture. The Thai government should establish laws to make provisions for the children of our migrant workers. For example, they say schools were shut down for singing the [Myanmar] national anthem—they should just not allow them to sing it. They should clearly specify what uniforms to wear, what curriculum to teach, etc. This way, the whole society on both sides can scrutinise it. When they have no choice but to arrest people, they face a lot of criticism among themselves and internationally. I sympathise, as I myself see that our organisations opening schools are completely unsystematic. I see that they deviate greatly from and violate many of Thailand’s existing laws. Therefore, the Thai government needs to issue guidelines as soon as possible on how to properly organise migrant worker schools and what format they should take. A girl holds an infant after fleeing to Thailand’s Mae Hong Son Province in 2021 (AFP) MN: What consequences could there be if we can’t provide education for these migrant children? HC: Education isn’t even about aiming as high as getting a degree or becoming a university professor. The main thing is that they must be able to read and write, and study the vocational skills they want to learn—that’s the basic level I’m considering. If we can’t create and implement that situation, it could be very dangerous for a country that has accepted hundreds of thousands to millions of Myanmar children under 18. For example, criminal offences—they don’t know Thai law, they don’t know the situation of Thai society, they don’t know the Thai monarchy system. If they just live on their own without knowing anything, use drugs, break laws—that’s not good for Thailand or for our country. They need to be familiar with the language and Thai society. If they themselves can speak and read Thai, they can directly report to Thai organisations. In Thailand, they [some Thai citizens] don’t want to do certain jobs anymore, so they need someone to do them. There is research being done on relaxing restrictions on jobs, for example nursing assistants. Previously they didn’t allow migrant workers to do that job. Now they’re preparing to allow it up to that level. They need 200,000 nursing assistants. So those who say they are working on Myanmar migrant worker issues, those who consider themselves a government, must address migrant worker issues as a national duty. I believe that the role of educated migrant worker youth and middle-aged people will become very important in our future rebuilding. It will happen. I want to say to those who call themselves a government to be mindful of the development and education issues of migrant workers, treat it as a national agenda, and systematically cooperate with capable people, individuals, and organisations. MN: What would you like to say to the Thai government and the international community regarding the education of migrant children? HC: The main thing is that if you’re dealing with labour issues, it’s tripartite, involving employers, government, and workers. We will help from our side as workers. The laws already exist. As for governments, how will they implement education for migrant workers’ children in Thailand according to these laws—a concrete policy is needed, based on cooperation between the two countries. Students take part in a lesson at a school for the children of Myanmar migrant workers in Bangkok in 2018 (EPA) As for the international community, I’d like them to urge them to pay attention to whether Thailand respects and complies with existing laws. There’s been a lot of progress in the fishing and seafood industry, thanks to international pressure. Thailand is a country that accepts a lot of tourists, and a lot of foreign businesses are entering, so the international community plays an important role. I'd also like to tell Thai business people who are cooperating with the international community to please respect and comply with migrant workers’ rights. Primarily invest in the education and vocational training of migrant workers’ children, those under 18 years old. If we can give them that message, development work will improve. MN: What would you like to say to those leading the education system for Myanmar people living as migrants? HC: Now the closure of migrant schools is like objecting to our national education system. They need to see that. This should be approached systematically. This education issue—whether it’s the [Myanmar] opposition, individuals, or the military council—everyone who wants Myanmar to develop should support and try to implement education for migrant children. MN: We’ve heard there has also been some backlash on Thai social media about education, economic, and social issues related to Myanmar migrant workers. Why is this situation arising? HC: Now on Thai social media, whether you call them Thai extremists or protectors of Thai race and religion, some organisations are collaborating and sending letters to their ministries. That’s because, since the start of the Spring Revolution, Myanmar migrant workers and Myanmar citizens have been entering en masse and we’re seeing more complex problems arising in Thailand. We’re seeing some businesses being conducted that don't comply with Thai laws, schools being opened in a very commercial manner. So Thai extremists with an anti-Myanmar sentiment are making demands on Thai social media. I don’t think the Thai government can accommodate some of these demands. We also see some impossible demands. But whatever you say, the daily widespread anti-Myanmar incitement on Thai social media is something Myanmar migrant workers need to be very careful about. More importantly, we are concerned about undesirable problems continuing to arise in the future.

‘Our so-called government has shown no interest at all’—Foundation for Education and Development director Htoo Chit

A prominent educator discusses the challenges involved in meeting the needs of the children of Myanmar migrant workers in Thailand

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