Bird, Frank; Thin, Shwe Zin; Thiri, Yoon; (2025) Three doors of discrimination: The causal mechanisms of educational challenges for migrant children from Myanmar

In Thailand, the challenges of providing education to migrant children from Myanmar are many and well-documented: linguistic, cultural, and social barriers, hidden educational costs, negative perceptions toward migrant children, and documentation and security concerns. These challenges culminate in a harsh reality. Migrant children in Thailand are more likely to be out of school than in any form of education (UNICEF, 2019). This article utilises critical realism as a theoretical framework to examine the educational crisis faced by migrant learners in Ranong and Tak Provinces, Thailand. It reveals the three doors of discrimination – the document curse, the employment gate, and the education trap - as some of the key invisible realities contributing to the visible educational barriers. We argue that educational responses that overlook these underlying causes cannot address the structural injustices that exclude migrant children from meaningful, sustained access to education.