Abstract
Health and education are interrelated, and it is for this reason that we studied the education of migrant children. The Thai Government has ratified ‘rights’ to education for all children in Thailand since 2005. However, there are gaps in knowledge concerning the implementation of education policy for migrants, such as whether and to what extent migrant children receive education services according to policy intentions. The objective of this study is to explore the implementation of education policy for migrants and the factors that determine education choices among them. A cross-sectional qualitative design was applied. The main data collection technique was in-depth interviews with 34 key informants. Thematic analysis with an intersectionality approach was used. Ranong province was selected as the main study site. Results found that Migrant Learning Centers (MLCs) were the preferable choice for most migrant children instead of Thai Public Schools (TPSs), even though MLCs were not recognized as formal education sites. The main reason for choosing MLCs was because MLCs provided a more culturally sensitive service. Teaching in MLCs was done in Myanmar’s language and the MLCs offer a better chance to pursue higher education in Myanmar if migrants migrate back to their homeland. However, MLCs still face budget and human resources inadequacies. School health promotion was underserviced in MLCs compared to TPSs. Dental service was underserviced in most MLCs and TPSs. Implicit discrimination against migrant children was noted. The Thai Government should view MLCs as allies in expanding education coverage to all children in the Thai territory. A participatory public policy process that engages all stakeholders, including education officials, health care providers, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), MLCs’ representatives, and migrants themselves is needed to improve the education standards of MLCs, keeping their culturally-sensitive strengths.
Highlights
In 2015, 244 million people worldwide lived outside their country of birth; 31 million of them were children and 12 million were living in Asia
Four emerging themes emerged from the fieldwork: (1) factors contributing to Migrant Learning Centers (MLCs) preference; (2) Thai public schools as a preferred choice for long term residents; (3) implicit discrimination; and
MLCs appeared to be a preferable choice over Thai Public Schools (TPSs) in most migrant parents
Summary
In 2015, 244 million people worldwide lived outside their country of birth; 31 million of them were children and 12 million were living in Asia. Public Health 2019, 16, 430; doi:10.3390/ijerph16030430 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph
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