CHUMPHON — Officials in Chumphon Province were notified by local residents about an unauthorized school for Myanmar children in Moo 5, Ban Yang Ngam, Na Sak Subdistrict, Chumphon Province. The school was reportedly taught by Myanmar nationals without any Thai education officials present.
On October 3, intelligence officers from the Internal Security Operations Command, along with officials from the Ministry of Education and the Chumphon Provincial Labor Office, investigated the site. They found an unauthorized school building without an address number, located in a coconut plantation about 4-5 kilometers from Asian Highway 41.
During the inspection, Ms. Tin Tae, a 37-year-old Myanmar national, was teaching 50 Myanmar children. Her Thai employer, Ms. Ariya, was also present.
Ms. Tin Tae stated that she had been teaching Myanmar children at Ms. Ariya’s property for 1 year and 8 months, receiving a monthly salary of 4,000 baht. She also collected operational fees of 500-700 baht per student. Her employer was aware of this activity and never warned her that it was beyond her work rights. The students were children of Myanmar workers in the area.
Officials charged Ms. Tin Tae with working outside her permitted rights, violating Section 8 of the Alien Work Management Emergency Decree 2017 and its 2018 amendment. She confessed to all charges and was handed over to Na Sak Police Station investigators along with evidence including four Myanmar language textbooks, a notebook, a ruler, a marker, and two ballpoint pens.
The law stipulates that violators face fines of 5,000 – 50,000 baht, deportation, and a two-year ban on work permit applications from the date of punishment.
However, regarding children’s education, Thai law guarantees that all children under 18 residing in Thailand have the right to equal educational opportunities. Everyone has the opportunity for 15 years of free education from kindergarten to upper secondary level.
Under Thai law, children under 18 within Thai jurisdiction must receive equal protection without discrimination based on race, skin color, language, religion, political or other opinions, national origin, ethnicity or social background, property, disability, birth, or other status of the child.
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