Cultivating global citizenship in Migrant Learning Centers on Thailand-Myanmar borders

Abstract

Global Citizenship Education (GCE) and Multicultural Education (ME) have gained significant attention over the past several decades, both in Thailand and globally. However, there have been few studies conducted on education systems in a diverse context of the Thailand and Myanmar border which is a space where ambivalence of ethnic and linguistic identity among children and youth is prevalent. Emergencies, whether from conflict or otherwise, have had significant negative impacts on cultivating border/ cross-border citizenship and recognizing cultural diversity. Accordingly, the main purpose of this dissertation study was to 1) explore how GCE and ME are reflected in teaching and learning at migrant learning schools on the Thailand/Myanmar border by analyzing the Myanmar non-formal primary education (NFPE) curriculum materials and teachers' pedagogy. Also, 2) to understand the extent to which the curricula and the pedagogical practices of migrant learning centers (MLCs) cultivate citizenship or global citizenship and foster multicultural understanding. A qualitative methodology was employed in this study and the data were collected from documents, interviews and observations. This research used a purposive sampling technique to select the target groups which included the two migrant learning centers located in Mae Sot, Tak Province. Field work took place for two months (June-August 2020). The analysis revealed that the Myanmar NFPE curriculum materials were more oriented towards nationalism and the most common GCE representations in the curriculum were health and life skills health topics which were found to be more relevant to the specific needs in places affected by emergencies. Exploring the dimensions of critical pedagogy, findings showed that teachers' background as being ethnically marginalized, having cross-border experiences and cultural differences from the cultural nationalism had a significant impact on interpreting the curriculum and pedagogical practices in MLCs. A central implication is raising awareness through a dialogical approach should be reflected in a multicultural education. Cultivating global citizenship in the context of the Thailand and Myanmar border means four distinct goals: 1) GC as having survival skills, 2) GC as having freedom, 3) GC as building a home in a new country, and 4) GC as holding on to their identity. Despite that, the finding indicated that teachers’ pedagogy generally deemphasized critical discussions in a restrictive social political context and that most likely created citizenship dilemmas. Having a non-national citizenship recognized by any nation state can be painful for migrant students whose life circumstances took them away from their country of origin . This research suggests that the government sector and civil society on the border should collectively be involved in determining curriculum policy direction and teachers’ development programs. This is in order to cultivate global citizenship and promote multicultural understanding which can shed a light on the connection between the sense of belonging to the global community and citizenship that is relevant to the diverse context of the border. Moreover, further comparative study should be done in the context of Myanmar and other places affected by conflicts.

Keywords: Global Citizenship Education (GCE), Multicultural Education (ME), Curriculum, Migration, Education on the Thailand/Myanmar Border