The Labour Protection Network (LPN), a non-profit foundation for the promotion of labour quality, has expressed serious concern over the closure of a learning centre for Burmese children in Surat Thani province by the provincial educational office, following the posting of a video clip on social media of the children there singing the Thai and Myanmar national anthems.
Sompong Sakaeo, director of the Labour Protection Network, said today he is not sure whether the closure of the learning centre is because it was not legally established or whether it stems from the singing of the Myanmar national anthem which, he said, would be a “knee jerk” reaction.
The clip in question drew mixed reactions, with several commenting that it is inappropriate for the children to sing the Myanmar national anthem, as the centre is located on Thai soil. Others have expressed concern, saying that there are about 60 other similar learning centres scattered across the country, providing education to about 20,000 children from Myanmar.
According to the Facebook page of the Surat Thani provincial educational office, the Myinttar Yeink Khun learning centre was ordered closed immediately, because had not been established legally. The centre teaches hundreds of Burmese children, whose parents escaped the civil war in Myanmar to seek temporary refuge in Thailand.
Sompong noted that it is difficult for these learning centres to be properly registered, in accordance with the National Education Act, because they require a credible local sponsor.
For those in Samut Sakhon province, which is home to about a million migrant workers from Myanmar, Sompong said there is a major learning centre in Krathum Ban district and several other smaller centres within its network, all supported by the LPN.
He also said that education officials, the government in particular, should understand the plight of these children, because they were forced to leave their country by civil war.
He suggested that government authorities step in to support these learning centres, so the children have access to basic education.
