By Vijian Paramasivam
PHNOM PENH, Jan 20 (Bernama) — An international organisation today said access to education for children living in camps along the Thailand-Myanmar border has reached a “breaking point” due to increased student numbers amid dwindling foreign aid.
Save the Children Thailand highlighted that crowded classrooms, a shortage of learning resources, and a decline in humanitarian assistance since early last year are pressing problems in facilities within the camps.
An estimated 90,000 people residing along the borders of Thailand and Myanmar are also facing food shortages and limited medical care due to the closure of clinics as funding dries up.
“Education in the camps along the Thai-Myanmar border is at a breaking point. Education can be life-saving, and it is certainly life-changing, which is why we must collectively put resources towards education,” said Save the Children Thailand’s Executive Director Guillaume Rachou in a press statement today.
The findings were based on a survey – “Education on the Edge: Access to Education for Conflict-displaced and Migrant Children along the Thailand-Myanmar Border” – released this month.
The survey showed that nine camps were severely affected by the reduction in international funding.
Students and school-aged children comprise 30 per cent of the camp’s residents.
The number of students in the camps has increased by 33 per cent, from about 18,000 in 2020 to around 24,000 last year, largely due to the escalating conflict and instability in Myanmar.
The number of people fleeing from turmoil-hit Myanmar has steadily increased since the military coup in February 2021, which triggered political instability after the civilian government was ousted.
According to the statement, classrooms inside migrant learning centres are often crowded and some host up to 60 students at a time, while teachers complain of an acute shortage of learning resources, including textbooks and science and IT equipment.
Many learning centres catering to migrant families also operate on rented land, leaving them without security, and teachers said they faced legal constraints as they are prohibited from holding teaching licences, which impacts their professional recognition, said the statement.
“We know that the camps operate with limited resources, that classrooms can be overcrowded and that there is a shortage of trained teachers and learning materials even as enrolment has risen in recent years following renewed conflict in Myanmar,” said Rachou.
For decades, Thailand has become a haven for Myanmar nationals fleeing the country due to internal conflicts.
— BERNAMA