Migrant pupils on the rise in BMA schools
There are 4,497 foreign migrant children studying at 437 schools run by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA), 1.54 per cent of the city schools' total of 291,116 pupils, and the number is expected to keep rising, a Bangkok Council member reported on Wednesday.
Pornchai Theppanya, who chairs the council’s committee for education and culture, said most of the children came from Myanmar, followed by Cambodia and Laos, according to a committee survey.
BMA schools in Thawee Wattana district had the most foreign migrant children (331), followed by Bang Khun Thien (328), Bang Kapi (277), Thung Khru (196) and Lat Krabang (173).
The numbers could be inexact, however, since BMA schools do not formally report foreign migrant pupils to the district offices or Bangkok Education Office.
Discrepancies in the figures could affect budget allocations and projects implemented at the schools, Pornchai warned.
As well, many of the children had not undergone the nationality identification process.
Pornchai recommended that the schools look into their pupils’ origins and record the details to help ensure accuracy in the city’s household registration files and budget allocation.
