Report by Nuttaphol Meksobhon
Photos by Kotcharak Kaewsurach

Since Myanmar's 2021 coup, an increasing number of families fleeing armed conflict and forced conscription have sought refuge in Thailand. In the border province of Tak, migrant learning centres provide ongoing support to their children, despite facing limited resources.

Mid-year marks the start of a new school term for migrant learning centres in Mae Sot District, Tak Province. The New Society Learning Centre is no exception. Every evening, parents gather in front of the green building—some waiting to pick up their children, others hoping to speak with the headmaster about enrolling their children.

The New Society Learning Centre has around 190 students. Classes are conducted in three languages: Burmese, Thai, and English. The centre offers a Myanmar curriculum from kindergarten to Grade 8, equivalent to Thailand's second year of lower secondary education. It also provides Non-Formal Education programmes (NFE).

After school hours at the New Society Learning Centre in Mae Sot, Tak Province. 
The building is a row house painted green. The centre rents it from a Thai owner who supports the education of the children of migrant workers.

Wah Wah Myint, the 63-year-old headmaster of the centre, said that while some students live in Mae Sot, an increasing number have migrated from Myanmar and are seeking enrolment. With the centre nearing full capacity, they assess whether they can accommodate more students. If there is no more space, they recommend nearby learning centres to parents.

The aftermath of Myanmar's 2021 coup and the enforcement of mandatory conscription in early 2024 have driven a large number of refugees into Thailand. As a result, several education administrators in Mae Sot have reported a significant increase in student enrolments at learning centres, which are now facing challenges in providing quality education to as many children of migrant workers as possible.

Data from the Migrant Educational Coordination Centre, operating under the Tak Primary Education Service Area Office 2, shows that the number of students increased by 6,668 from December 2022 to December 2024, while the number of learning centres decreased slightly to 63.

• December 2022: 11,156 students in 65 learning centres
• December 2023: 14,627 students in 64 learning centres
• December 2024: 17,824 students in 63 learning centres

The increase has also been felt by Ratri (alias) from the Burmese Migrant Workers' Education Committee , a foundation which oversees around 25 learning centres in Tak Province. She said that the number of students has risen this year, from about 4,000–5,000 to 6,000–7,000.

Data from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees reveals that between 1 February 2021 and 30 December 2024, a total of 1,358,770 refugees have fled to neighbouring countries, including India and Thailand. As of 30 November 2024, approximately 81,200 refugees are in Thailand, accounting for 7% of the population fleeing Myanmar.

The new wave of refugees following the 2021 coup, with the number of children alone reaching hundreds of thousands, will add to the group of earlier refugees who have been in Thailand since 1984, currently numbering around 80,000 housed in nine temporary shelters run by the Ministry of the Interior in four provinces: Tak, Mae Hong Son, Kanchanaburi, and Ratchaburi.

Crowded classroom

The migrant learning centres in Mae Sot are not officially registered under Thailand's Ministry of Education. However, the Thai government has shown flexibility in permitting their operation. Due to its border location and the ongoing political turmoil in Myanmar, Tak province hosts the highest number of migrant learning centres in the country.

Migrant learning centres are among the few places that provide education for migrant children, serving as safeguards against drug abuse, human trafficking, and child labor. By providing a safe environment for their children, they also offer stability for migrant parents working in Thailand.

"If the children of migrant workers have no access to education, their work will be less efficient,” said Phongsat Phraisin, former deputy director of the Tak Primary Education Service Area Office 2.

“But when they no longer worry, [because] their children are enrolled in government schools or learning centres, it will affect their mental state. They will get to work more effectively and help boost the economy in Thailand.”

Despite their critical role, the learning centres face resource shortages.

The Burmese Migrant Workers' Education Committee  reported that the rise in student numbers has caused a shortage of teachers at the learning centres. With limited funding, some teachers work voluntarily, receiving only partial salaries or, in some cases, being compensated with rice.

Previously, one teacher might have taught around 35-40 students, but now a single teacher is responsible for no less than 40-50 students per class. The available space is becoming insufficient.

"We can't take it. There are not enough classrooms. The stress on teachers’ will be very great. Learning materials are also lacking. We have to find money to pay the teachers, but they never get them everything. Now it’s getting worse. Management is more difficult, which will lead to a reduction in the quality of education," said Ratri.

Naw Paw Ray, the founder and headmaster of the Hsa Thoo Lei learning centre located in Mae Sot, which has been providing educational services since 1999, has converted storage rooms into classrooms to accommodate the increasing number of students. But migrant learning centres that rents from Thai owners, like New Society, would not be able to renovate the building.

A new classroom that Hsa Thoo Lei converted from a storage room and reading room to accommodate the growing number of students.

Siraporn Kaewsombat, Director of Help without Frontiers Thailand, said that during the COVID-19 pandemic, funds from international organizations and NGOs decreased due to the global economic decline, causing some learning centres to shut down. Ratri said that recently the organizations providing support have also reduced their funding because donors had to allocate funds to assist those affected by the war in Myanmar.

"We have to ask migrant workers have to pay higher registration fees. For a whole year, we ask students to pay only around 1,000 baht for the costs. They understand. When we face losses, we will find funding from elsewhere."

Change of plan

A staff member of the Cross-Cultural Foundation said that Myanmar refugees have come to realize that the civil war has no clear end in sight. As a result, instead of leaving their children behind with relatives in the hope of returning to Myanmar, more parents are bringing their children with them in search of a way to settle in Thailand.

A drawing by a student at the Sunset learning centre.

This means that migrant learning centres not only have to accommodate more students, but also need to rethink their curricula to better integrate them into Thai society, as an increasing number of parents aim to stay long-term.

The migrant learning centres typically offer three types of curricula, depending on their capacity. Some parents opt for centres that provide a Myanmar curriculum, allowing their children to continue their studies when they go back to Myanmar. Others choose centres offering a Non-Formal Education programme, which helps their children find jobs or pursue university studies in Thailand.

For those who can afford it, some centres prepare students for the General Education Development test, enabling them to pursue international programmes in Thailand or western countries. However, with a 12,000 baht test fee and the high tuition costs of these programmes, this option is not affordable for everyone.

The director of the Burmese Migrant Workers' Education Committee  explained that some learning centres have started offering vocational courses such as baking, phone repair, and motorcycle maintenance to equip students with skills that will help them find employment.

As these children receive a proper education, they will join the migrant workforce as they grow up. In 2024, the number of migrant workers in Thailand reached 3.4 million, forming an integral part of the Thai economy as the population continues to age rapidly.

In this situation, teaching Thai to migrant children is crucial. Kanongrit Singhabut, an official from Migrant Educational Coordination Centre, told us last year that migrant learning centres have begun incorporating Thai lessons into their curriculum, which was previously focused solely on Burmese.

This change will enable students to participate in Non-Formal Education programmes, pursue further education, and access job opportunities. However, Thai language teachers are only available at centres with larger budgets.

Soe Sandar, the principal of the Sunset learning centre, said that the centre used to offer Thai language classes on Saturdays and Sundays. However, the teacher responsible for the Thai classes had to leave to pursue university studies, leaving the centre without an Thai language instructor.

“Every parent thinks that since they are in Thailand, if their children and grandchildren learn Thai to be able to write and speak or study at high level, they will have good jobs. If they complete their studies in the Myanmar curriculum, even if they graduate, there will be few jobs available if they live here. But if the children study both the Myanmar and Thai curricula, they will have good jobs. This is what every parent hopes for. Teachers also recommend students to learn Thai,” said Soe Sandar.

Bridging the gap

The learning atmosphere at New Society

While migrant learning centres have done a remarkable job, their impact is limited. Without certificates, graduates lack the qualifications to enter Thai universities.

Even if they are Non-Formal Education graduates, they still have to compete with those who have access to better resources. Traditional schools remain the most reliable option, yet most migrant children still lack access to them.

Since July 2005, the Cabinet resolution on 'Education for All' has guaranteed 15 years of free basic education for all children, regardless of nationality or legal status. Yet, the resolution remains hindered by weak implementation.

In 2023, the Tak Primary Educational Service Area Office 2 issued a directive barring schools under its jurisdiction from admitting children living in temporary shelters or refugee camps, those who entered the country illegally, and children living across the border.

The directive not only violated the Cabinet resolution but also faced criticism from civil society as unconstitutional and a breach of international law.

In practice, the decision remains with each school administration. The headmaster of Hsa Thoo Lei Learning Centre explained that if someone seeks advice, they would still encourage them to apply to a school. If the schools reject them, they can return to study at the migrant learning centres.

"If the parents are here, the children may not have birth certificates, but if the parents have documents, the schools will sometimes accept them,” said Naw Paw Ray. “But if neither the parents nor the children have any documents, state schools will not want to accept them."

Next to the problem of documents is the language barrier. Enrolling in Thai schools does not require children to be literate beforehand. However, Thai school teachers are not bilingual like Myanmar teachers, so children must learn Thai to study and communicate with their instructors.

This is a chicken-and-egg situation: migrant children need to know Thai before enrolling in Thai schools, but without access to these schools, they do not have the opportunity to learn Thai.

To address this problem, the Inclusive Education Foundation has a collaborative project involving government agencies and civil society which includes sending bilingual teaching assistants to help public schools by facilitating communication between teachers, students, and parents. In exchange, schools agree to enrol more migrant children as students.

Noe, a 21-year-old teaching assistant at Ban Hua Fai School, said that having an assistant who can communicate in Burmese, Karen and Thai helps parents feel more confident about sending their children to school as they have someone to consult about any issues their children may face.

Calls for support

While these civil society interventions are highly effective, they do not reach everyone. In the absence of adequate government measures, many Myanmar migrant families remain in fear, further exacerbated by lingering anti-immigrant sentiment in Thailand.

“The political and economic situation has really forced them to be here. So there’s no need to talk about creating problems— to the point where they are still afraid that the police or immigration will arrest them. They don’t dare to go outside even if they're sick, or they don’t even dare to send their children to school. They have to live in hiding. They are undocumented, but they don’t cause any trouble at all. I don’t want them to be seen as criminals or wanting to take something away from the Thais.”

Soe Sandar urged the government to formally allow refugees to stay in the country temporarily until the situation in Myanmar improves. She noted that while the Migrant Educational Coordination Centre issues student ID cards, these cannot serve as legal documentation with immigration authorities for their families. If immigration officials find that they have entered the country illegally, they are at risk of being deported back to their country of origin, exposing them to the dangers of forced conscription.

Allowing temporary residence would help them feel safer and more confident in sending their children to the schools or migrant learning centres of their choice. At the same time, the migrant learning centres require all the support they can get.

In Ratri's view, migrant learning centres would benefit from certification, even without government funding. Their inclusion in the system would enable graduates to enrol in Thai universities more easily. She also believes the government would gain an advantage by overseeing the centres' teaching content.

Other teachers in the migrant learning centres said that, if possible, they would like the government to support their salaries at the learning centres. Wah Wah Myint just wants the learning centres to be able to continue operating so that she can continue to serve the community.

Surapong Kongchantuk, President of the Cross-Cultural Foundation urged the government to increase support for Thai language instruction in migrant learning centres. He noted that in Samut Sakhon, only 10% of children graduating from these centres return to their home country, while the rest stay and build their lives in Thailand.

“I believe many migrant learning centres want to teach Thai. Thai is essential for the children, but they are not ready. Could Non-Formal Education step in to help them to cooperate with each other?”

Surapong Kongchantuk

Surapong believes that if the government supports private or civil society organizations in providing education, it would require significantly less funding than managing the education system on its own. This approach is more sustainable than shouldering the entire burden alone.

Unless the Thai state takes it more seriously and provides more support, migrant children will continue to face difficulties in growing up, despite already having endured the trauma of fleeing war.

“State should push everyone to have the equal opportunity to enter and study at university. But currently these children’s right to access the education system is limited,“ said Surapong. “They have the right to study in Thai schools, but we restrict their rights. When they can't enter the Thai system, they have to look for other systems. But in the other systems the paths are narrow. We're trying to push them into difficult paths,"