Make learning count – Migrant Learning Center registration in Thailand: Thepolicy landscape and ways forward.

Highlights

Substantial strides have been taken to ensure all children, including migrants, have access to education under Thailand’s Education for All (EFA) policy. Several education options are available at the sub-national level, including early childcare centers, public schools, private schools, non-formal education and Migrant Learning Centers (MLCs).
 
In certain circumstances, migrant parents decide to enrol their children in MLCs because these centers provide mother-tongue-based education aligned with their children’s hopes and dreams for the future. Some of these centers provide multiple educational pathways, including both Myanmar and Thai non-formal education. However, many MLCs continue to face existential challenges relating to registration and legalization. While there is significant awareness of these challenges, there is far less knowledge about how to
navigate and implement supportive efforts that enable the formal acknowledgement of the role of MLCs in Thailand.
 
This report explores the available school registration options available to MLCs in Thailand as well as the implications of ensuring all children in Thailand have access to an education that meets their needs. It makes the case that MLCs are not a parallel education system, but a complementary approach to realizing the 2005 Cabinet Resolution on Educational Provision for Persons without Legal Status or Thai Citizenship, and urges policymakers to work to strengthen legal registration pathways as well as recognition and accreditation channels for teachers and students.