Education, migrant workers and the struggle for democracy

No.03 - 8/2007
9 August 2007
General

The Burmese economy continues to worsen and force people from Burma to leave for neighbouring countries such as Thailand. People leave their homes with dreams and enthusiasm. Some are here in Thailand with the expectation to find freedom and prosperity while others are in search of knowledge for future development and education.
 
Broadly speaking, we can identify two kinds of groups with different aims in coming to Thailand. There are migrant workers who risk their lives and come to Thailand simply to escape poverty and to find a better way to survive. In doing so, they hope to be able to support the rest of their family members remaining inside the country. They usually take any available jobs quickly when arrive in Thailand as time is something they can not afford to waste.
 
There is another group of people who come to Thailand with a distinctive purpose. They are often young and educated. They look for opportunities to further their knowledge and skills, more accurately they search for the meaning of their existence. They are often willing to take risks and work with political resistance organisations.  Migrant workers and the young and educated may vary in their aims and purposes, however, one common desire shared between them is to live freely with dignity. Poverty may be the obvious factor that causes people to leave their homeland, but the fundamental dilemma for everyone when faced with losing one’s dignity is how to live as a human being. The oppressive Burmese military regime not only deprives people of the capacity to build sustainable living conditions but it takes away their human dignity.
 
People from Burma living in Thailand know very well that losing one’s dignity is like living with no meaning. They all share a common dream: to be able to return to a homeland that is free and safe.
 
The number of Burmese migrant workers in Thailand has now reached well over one million and a large component of the population is in their middle age. They occupy mainly low skilled jobs usually as they have no choice. They live in appalling conditions. Their welfare rights are often being denied. The Thai government’s foreign workers registration service covers only a small percentage of the total migrant workers population.  Many of these migrant workers often posses high levels of education and are highly skillful in what they do. But, their potential has not been acknowledged. Migrant workers are, in fact, the skilled force of a future Burma. Visionary political leaders can no longer afford to ignore the potential role of migrant workers. The need to embrace migrant workers in democracy campaigns is a political demand and failure to do so will bear expensive consequences.
 
Thailand-based Burmese NGOs’ capacity building trainings, while focussing on the young and educated, has overlooked the potential political power of migrant workers who are assumed not to have political visions and interests. The need to create opportunities for people in the labour force to learn and develop is demanded by their political and social reality. Migrant workers’ representation in the democratic struggle is significant. But the question is how can this energy be cultivated.
 
Promoting the concept of “lifelong learning” among migrant workers may be a way to begin. Lifelong learning is the concept that “it is never too soon or too late [in one’s life] for learning”. It recognises life the experiences of individuals. Learning is not confined to class rooms and it can take place anywhere. Learning based on relevant personal experience helps people learn with little effort. Migrant workers need not to feel that they are not political or they are not here to learn. Workplace learning can be political. The real task of education is to uncover the dominant ideology and challenge dominant myths, and anyone can learn and change. Everyone think critically. Understanding the dominant ideology will lead one to be more critical about oppressive power relations that structure our society and encourage participation in collective actions.
 
Barriers such as illiteracy, lack of interest in politics, unmotivated and false perceptions of social reality can be overcome when learning is made relevant to life-experience and suitable opportunities are available. Subtle power in human being is powerful enough to alter any false perception. When one sees and believes his or her contribution is important and is being recognised, one is empowered to participate and contribute.
 
Many migrant workers may have little formal education but have a lot of life experiences and skills. Many migrant workers have first-hand experiences of political oppression, economic discrimination, and violation of individual rights as they live under these circumstances every day. But, they can remain the masters of their destiny while experiencing the absence of democracy and human rights in their daily lives. These experiences need to be cultivated as political power for the democracy movement.
Creating opportunities for migrant workers to engage and participate in learning activities must be understood as part of the broader pro-democracy campaign. Winning migrant workers’ hearts and minds is the same as winning political ground in the democracy campaign.
 
Within migrant communities, the young and educated may be more overtly interested in political realities and willing to take risks, but they could be easily disoriented when facing uncertainty, lack of support in their efforts to become resourceful or dis-associated among Burma’s resistance networks. The consequence of disorientation in the struggle leads to feelings of disillusionment, a focus on individualisation and loss of faith in the struggle. Escapism is common when one faces disorientation. In other word, brain drain in the form of seeking to resettle in third countries, among the young and educated is more or less a result of disorientation. People are seeking to go to third countries in many ways. Some go the third countries through resettlement programs and many join the boat via different options such as personal connection.  This problem is increasingly becoming a major concern among political organiations as well as social change organisations.
 
The desire of young educated people to migrate to third countries is understandable as opportunities for their future are limited in Thailand. And circumstances related to the profound lack of security do not give young people much hope to face their future with confidence.
 
However, young people who intend to settle in a third country should bear in mind that their dreams may not be easily realised in the West. The struggle to be able to stand on one’s own feet is a real challenge and many who have ventured to third countries have had to sacrifice a great deal in order to make their mark there. The challenges faced when moving to the West are more mental in nature than physical. Culture shock, changing social status and an inability to continue one’s education immediately are just some factors of the learning curve faced in third countries.
 
Education that empowers young people to be more critical and take control of their actions may be a way to strengthen their commitment to continue in the struggle. Organisations need to take integrative approaches and open up opportunities for young people to take part in leadership role. Young people will need to be encouraged to have the desire to change, to be critical and take ownership of their actions.
 
Dr. Hawkins (1998), a renowned expert on mental processes wrote, “While the majority resign themselves to a pessimistic view and pray for a better life “hereafter”, the few visionaries who foresee a utopian future are unable to describe the means necessary to bring it about. Society needs visionaries of the means, not dreamers of ends. Once we have the means, the ends will reveal themselves.”
 
The real purpose of education is to help people become visionaries and remove dreams that only yearn for a better ends and do not reflect the reality. The will to continue fighting back instead of escaping comes from the desire to take control of one’s destiny with vision and strong belief. And that will is in every one of us and we can help one another to overcome barriers when we begin to recognise each other and work collectively.
 
 
Sai Lao Leang is a former member of a Shan resistance group. He is an adult educator and community development worker in Australia and currently conducting a research on non-formal education among Burmese NGOs based in Thailand.
_{Opinions expressed here are those of the author.}

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