No borders to education

Going to school for these Cambodian children means crossing a checkpoint daily
Story by NAOWARAT SUKSAMRAN
Every morning, it is quite common to see Hiang Kunti, an eight-year-old girl, along with her schoolmates, enter Cambodia through a border checkpoint at Ban Klong Luek in Aranyaprathet district. They take along border passes to show to immigration officers. But officers there said they do not want to be too strict with these children.
The officers feel they are just kids on their way to schools located in Poipet, a small border town in Cambodia across from the Thai province.
These Cambodian children live on the Thai side of the border with their parents who settled illegally and make a living in Talat Rong Kluea, a border market well known for used brand-name items.
The children need basic compulsory education and the schools on the Cambodian side provide them exactly that.
There are both private schools and schools run by the Cambodian government.
Speaking Thai with a heavy Cambodian accent, Hiang realises that education is the key to a brighter future.
She needs to finish primary school in Cambodia first before she can qualify to further her studies in Thailand where she expects to have access to better education.
Immigration officers said these children go to school on the Cambodian side in the morning and cross back to Thailand in the afternoon after school.
The children slip back and forth through the checkpoint using their parents' border passes, which were issued legally. But the families break the law when they fail to cross back to Cambodia at the end of the day as required by the border passes.
The families built their homes in the Talat Rong Kluea market where they also run small businesses. At the same time, some children living on the Cambodian side also cross over to attend schools in Thailand.
Sopin Muangthong is director of Phuang Kram private school in Aranyaprathet district, which enrols students from kindergarten to Mathayom 3 levels.
The school, which has been open for 15 years, offers bilingual courses taught in both Thai and Khmer. Now 30 Cambodian students study at the school.
She said teachers and students do not have trouble communicating with each other. Most Cambodian students can speak Thai and the Thai teachers can speak Khmer.
''Many of those who graduate from here will pursue their studies in Phnom Penh to prepare themselves for higher education,'' said Mrs Sopin.
Now there are three privately-run schools along the Thai-Cambodian border in Sa Kaeo. Cambodian students at private schools usually come from well-to-do families.
Private schools must ask for permission from primary education offices in their respective provinces to admit Cambodian students.
''We want these children to get a good education. Most of them have to help their parents with their work to support their families and cannot find time to attend schools,'' said a border school teacher.