Factors Affecting the Opportunities for Myanmar Migrant Children to Access Educational Rights in Laem Nok Community, Pattani Province

Abstract

This research article aims to study the factors affecting access to educational rights of Myanmar migrant children in the Laem Nok community, Pattani Province, under the Thai education system. The study employs qualitative research methodology. Research tools and data collection 
included in-depth interviews and group discussions with various key 
informants. Content analysis is used and research findings are presented descriptively.
The research findings revealed that there are 5 major factors 
affecting opportunities for accessing educational rights of Myanmar migrant children in Laem Nok community: 1) Parents as migrant workers-the right to enroll in school depends on parents' decisions, influenced by employers and the Raks Thai Foundation as information providers. Work in the fishery industry provides sufficient income to create residential stability, enabling transnational children to study continuously until graduation. 2) Students- migrant children with alien identification cards can access all rights. Conversely, 
migrant children without cards, despite being granted the right to enroll, are denied their rights upon graduation and do not receive educational 
certificates. 3) Educational agencies - operations aligned with national 
education policies and school educational management that takes migrant children into consideration help facilitate easier access to educational rights. 4) Labor networks and private organizations - the Raks Thai Foundation helps migrant children gain the right to enroll in Thai schools by serving as Thai language interpreters and translating documents such as birth 
certificates. And 5) Community environment - this is the only factor that prevents migrant children from accessing educational support in the
community, due to lack of community participation and ethnic prejudice. It was also found that access to educational rights for migrant children is still imperfect because some factors lack understanding of educational laws and participation in operations. Therefore, the findings of this research lead to policy recommendations for relevant agencies to establish flexible and adaptable guidelines to enable migrant children to access their right to 
education without violating the law.