Migrant kids left behind

On Monday, Kallaya Tahsom, former director of Thairath Wittaya 6 School in Ang Thong province, listened to police criminal charges against her for alleged crimes? The former school director also a Ministry of Education official, was accused of assisting illegal migration and neglecting her duty. In 2023, the school was found providing education to 126 Myanmar students who had fled their homeland’s civil war, illegally entering Thailand.

- 

If the court finds Ms Kallaya guilty, she could spend up to 10 years in jail and pay a fine of up to 200,000 baht. Her case mirrors the nation’s shameful and backward education policy. As Thailand needs more skilled and educated labourers, authorities are closing the places that help meet that need simply because these education centres are not legally permitted, and students are illegal migrants.

Such a policy is short-sighted. The problem, indeed, is not about Myanmar children — it’s about the future of Thai society. Deny any child an education based on their ethnicity harms the entire country.

The crackdown intensified last month when authorities closed the doors of learning centres in various provinces.