In July 2017, at the beginning of the school year, 3,278 Burmese children and youth enrolled in the 15 Migrant Learning Centres supported by Help without Frontiers Thailand.
During the whole school year, 157 teachers put their knowledge and availability at disposal of the students so as to ensure they had the chance to change their lives through learning and education.
As the end of the school year approaches, migrant schools are facing increasing challenges.
Indeed, the end of March also marks the deadline for many Burmese migrant workers to renew their Certificate of Identity (CI), as the main legal option they have at disposal to stay and work in Thailand. As many Burmese families do not have the financial capacity to cover the expensive procedure, Burmese parents are often left with no other option than leaving Thailand and returning to Myanmar, waiting for a change in the Thai migration policy. As a result, since the beginning of the school year, many students have joined their families in Myanmar, dropping out from Migrant Learning Centres in Mae Sot and renouncing to their education.
Many Migrant Learning Centres are struggling in keeping students at schools and in ensuring their teachers can have legal documents to stay in Thailand. The future of migrant education along the Thai-Myanmar border is at risk.
Despite these struggles, as the current school year comes to an end, most of the migrant schools are organising closing ceremonies with the purpose of celebrating the achievements of this year together with the students, the teachers, and the communities.
Help without Frontiers Thailand joins the celebrations and remains committed to standing by the side of Burmese migrants, supporting those struggling for an education, a safe life along the border, and a brighter future.
