Thai authorities in Tak Province are inspecting schools specially set up for children of Myanmar migrant workers to ensure they are complying with regulations, according to Naw Hsa Eh Say Poe, Chair of the Burmese Migrant Workers' Education Committee (BMWEC).
She explained that since the second week of September, the authorities have been checking that special schools for Myanmar migrant workers children comply with Thai Ministry of Education regulations in the Tak Province’s Mae Sot, Mae Ramat and Phop Phra districts.
"They cross-check the number of students on record with the actual attendance and verify that there is no politicisation in school operations. They also ensure that schools display photos of the King of Thailand, and fly Thai flags. From what I understand, these inspections were ordered by higher authorities and carried out by district-level administrative officials,” said Naw Hsa Eh Say Poe.
BMWEC urged schools to remain open as usual and cooperate with the inspecting officials, noting that the inspections, which are conducted by a group of officials, including some from the Immigration Department, focus solely on educational matters and should not be a cause for concern.
After Kwe Ka Baung Karen National High School in Mae Sot was inspected the school principal, Man Kyaw Kalein Yu, said that the inspectors only requested identification documents and student population lists and did not issue any other warnings.
He said: "They only checked the number of students attending the school and the identification documents the principal had. I also had to take a photo with them. There were no other warnings, and I can't say for certain whether they will recheck the number of students against the lists they took from me.”
In early September, the Thai authorities closed six schools for migrant children including Myittar Yeik School in Surat Thani Town, southern Thailand, where over 1,200 children were studying. Following this, the Thai Ministry of Education instructed local authorities in Tak Province to carry out investigations to find out if there were any illegal migrant schools in the Province. This is what prompted the current checks.
Following reports that the authorities may conduct surprise inspections of schools specially set up for migrants’ children in Tak Province, many of them in the province have been temporarily shut by the people who run them.
In Tak Province, 63 migrant schools are registered with the BMWEC. There are also other unregistered schools in the province.
