Terms of Reference

                           Review of Migrant Education Pathways and Strategies for Sustainability

1. Background

Migrants from Myanmar in Thailand

Migrants from Myanmar have been present in Thailand in large numbers for many years due to the long-term conflict, poor economy and lack of educational opportunities and jobs in the country. As a result, approximately 2.5 million migrants from Myanmar live in Thailand, primarily in areas with large agricultural, fishing, food processing industries or other jobs involving manual labor, such as in Bangkok and Mae Sot, a key border transit and trade site.[1]

The International Labor Organization (ILO) estimates that nearly 400,000 migrant children live in Thailand, approximately 11 percent of all migrants, although due to their illegal status and lack of registration the actual number may be much higher.[2] In order to provide an education for their children, migrant communities set up Migrant Learning Centers (MLCs) run by volunteers and community based organization such as Help without Frontiers (HWF) and Foundation for Rural Youth (FRY). In 2007, 88 MLCs were listed across Thailand with 55,858 students, although the actual total of MLCs and students is likely to be much higher.[3] The population of students in MLCs in Mae Sot has nearly doubled in recent years, from 7,750 in 2007 to 14,916 by 2011, although some reports suggest this may still be less than 50% of children.[4]

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[1] Thailand Migration Report 2011. International Organization for Migration.

[2] Report on the Situation of Migrant Children in Thailand 2008. International Labor Organization

[3] Vungsiriphisal, Premjai. The challenge and gap of migrant children protection: Case study of Thailand Education Policy. Asian Research Centre for Migration, Chulalongkorn University.

[4] Dickinson, Simon. OBEC data collection project for Tak ESA2, October 2010.

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Migrant Learning Centers

 Currently there are 74 MLCs operating in and around Mae Sot, Thailand. These centers have been acknowledged and “listed” by the Royal Thai Government (RTG) Ministry of Education (MoE). This acknowledgement provides the centers with the ability to remain in the Mae Sot area without fear of closure or without migrant families fearing deportation. The MoE provides recognition of teacher ID cards and student ID cards. However these MLCs are not accredited, monitored or supported by any formal education authority and as a result students receive no formal recognition of learning.  There is no over-arching or formal coordinated structure to address school governance issues; the funding of MLCs, quality of education, recognition of education and teacher qualifications, or standards around the safety and security of children. Many migrant teachers may have minimal formal education or have received little training. There are some organizations providing running costs to MLCs, but due to insufficient funding with routine delays and shortfalls, as well as the lack of human resources at the supporting organizations, there is no direct administration of the MLCs.  The MLCs most often end at the primary school level and children leave these centers to go into work. Leaving education at this age with no record of learning has serious consequences for the future opportunities of these children.

In addition to these challenges in governance and quality, MLCs are facing a funding crisis as many donors shift their funding priorities across the border in Myanmar. Some MLCs in the Mae Sot area have already closed down and many more may face closure in the coming years. Actors in the migrant education sector have thus been searching for alternatives for migrant children’s education and many believe that part of the long term sustainable solution must involve supporting migrant children to access Thai government schools.

Migrant Children in Thai Schools

 In August 2005, Royal Thai Government adopted an "Education for All" policy, giving all children in Thailand equal access to schooling, regardless of national origin or identity documentation. While implementation of this law has been very slow and many regional education authorities and Thai schools have failed to implement it, in the past three to four years the numbers of migrant children enrolling in Thai schools has steadily risen. Whilst this is regarded as a positive trend by some, many challenges and complications still exist. Some Thai government schools are still not aware of or do not understand the law, or are unwilling to accept non-Thai students. Many migrant families are afraid to send children to school for fear of arrest, or cannot afford the extra costs for school uniforms, text books and transportation.  Others live in plantations or remote areas where they work as agricultural laborers or in other jobs, making it difficult for them to access school. Some employers discourage families from leaving these sites, including attending school. There are also challenges related to language. Some families fear that their children will lose their Burmese language and face difficulties upon possible return to Myanmar. Migrant students are often not proficient in Thai, which represents a barrier to learning and development if they do not learn in their mother tongue. 

Save the Children’s Role & Joint Research with World Education

In order to promote migrant children’s right to access a quality, relevant education, Save the Children has initiated a three year ACCESS (Assisting Conflict-affected Children to Enroll and Stay in School) project which works with local migrant education partners Help Without Frontiers (HWF) and Foundation for Rural Youth (FRY).  This project seeks to identify Out of School Children (OOSC) and enable them to access quality education opportunities by strengthening education supply and demand with migrant communities and local stakeholders, including both MLCs and Thai schools.

However, given the complexity of the challenges outlined above, there is a need to review the current needs and options for different migrant communities, and strengthen a coordinated, evidence-driven approach that will provide appropriate, high-quality and sustainable education pathways for migrant children. Save the Children is therefore going to collaborate with World Education to conduct a research into the migrant education sector in target areas of Mae Sot and Bangkok, including a i) situational analysis of migrant children’s educational access, needs, and options ii) case studies on best practice and challenges in migrant education programs.  World Education will be leading the situation analysis in Mae Sot, and through this consultancy Save the Children will conduct a similar situation analysis in target areas of Bangkok and case studies around HWF and FRY’s programs.

2. The purpose of this consultancy

The purpose of this consultancy is to support and expand the migrant education sector research to be conducted in coordination with World Education (WE). The WE-SCI research will provide a situational analysis of the migrant education sector in Mae Sot focusing on the following areas: 

• I.     Quantitative and Qualitative analysis of the access and opportunities which exist to provide a quality and recognized education for migrant children 
• II.    Analysis of needs, vision and ambitions of parents, students and communities
• III.    Review of the best practices currently existing in education systems and programs currently running in the migrant education sector and the potential models to pilot or scale up 
• IV.    Analysis of the challenges and shortfalls in this sector
• V.     Analysis of the sustainability of existing education programs and what is required for best practices to be sustainable.

The purpose of this consultancy is to build upon, strengthen, and widen this migrant education sector review through the following components:

• I.     Expand the situation analysis research  on the 5 areas above to focus on migrant communities in Bangkok supported by FRY and the SCI ACCESS project
• II.    Provide case studies and documentation on the model,  approaches and strategies being implemented by FRY and HWF
• III.   Provide recommendations for further developing, strengthening and scaling-up the current programs, and for a policy advocacy strategies in the migrant education sector

3. Audiences:

The different components of the report will have different audiences.

Summary policy report: Will be aimed at policy-makers, SCI, and other NGOs and at the national and regional level to inform their policy and programming.

Detailed reports and annexes: Will be aimed at SCI, WE and migrant partners (HWF, FRY) for programming and capacity-building purposes.

4. Overview of Research Components of this consultancy:

Research Component 1) Situation analysis research focused on migrant communities in Bangkok

Quantitative and Qualitative analysis of the access and opportunities which exist to provide a quality and recognized education for migrant children in Bangkok. Including, but not limited to the following:

• Estimated numbers of migrant children (from secondary data and information provided by partners)
• Gross and net enrolment rates amongst migrant children by level and age (from secondary data and information provided by partners)
• Distribution of migrant children amongst different education institutions, e.g. MLCs, Thai schools, schools within schools in MLCs (from secondary data and information provided by partners)
• Drop-out-repetition-survival rates by age and level in different institutions (from secondary data and information provided by partners)
• Geographical distribution of in school and out of school migrant children (from secondary data and information provided by partners)
•  Profile of students attending different institutions (from secondary data and information provided by partners)
• Barriers to access reported in OOSC surveys and studies (from secondary data and information provided by partners)
• Policies and data on language of instruction and curricula (from secondary and primary data)
• Enrolment and processes and policies at the school level (e.g quotas) (from secondary and primary data)
• Outcomes of different institutional options in terms of recognition of learning and access to further education opportunities (from secondary and primary data)
• Data on student academic performance in MLCs and Thai schools children (from secondary data and information provided by partners)
•  Data on literacy skills sample of migrant children in MLCs and Thai schools (primary data collected using SCI literacy monitoring tool and methodology provided by SCI-WE)
• Trends of financing of different education institutions (from secondary and primary data)
• Policies and strategies promoted by national and local government for the enrolment and inclusion of migrant children schools (from secondary and primary data)
• Political and social environment around undocumented migrants and migrant education and implications for future policy  (from secondary and primary data)

Analysis of needs, vision and ambitions of migrant parents, students and communities in target areas of Bangkok. Including, but not limited to the following:

• Analysis of educational level and background of parents (from secondary and primary data)
• Analysis of motivations and interest of migrant communities in education (from secondary and primary data)
• Analysis of language landscape, levels and needs of migrant children and communities (from secondary and primary data)
• Analysis of perceptions, interests and fears of migrant children and communities around different education institutions (MLCs and Thai Schools) (from secondary and primary data)

Analysis of future plans and ambitions of migrant children and communities in Bangkok (from secondary and primary data) 

Research Component 2) Case Studies: Review and documentation of the models, approaches, best practices, challenges and opportunities for development in FRY and HWF programs.

Areas for data collection, analysis of best practice and challenges, and documentation will include, but not be limited to, the following:

Documentation of the HWF and FRY approaches and models:

• Narrative and visual graphic of each organization’s theory of change, supply and demand side strategies, pillars and principles of action

Review of quality and relevance of HWF and FRY programs:

• Analysis of the responsiveness of the HWF and FRY programs to the different needs identified in Mae Sot and Bangkok under research component 1
• Community engagement: Processes and strategies to raise awareness with migrant children around education, strategies to increase community involvement and support for education.
• MLC Curricula content and standards, ECCD and BE approaches and transition between the two, assessment methods
• MLC language approach and practice- Mother tongue & other language instruction, materials, transitions. 
• MLC teacher profiles, recruitment, and content-length-delivery of teacher training & support
• MLC learning environment (SCI QLE tool), and teaching practice (from sample class observation)
• Education data collection and management: Collection and use of data on education access and quality by school management, HWF and FRY (including OOSC survey).

Detailed analysis of inclusion and transition of migrant children into Thai schools:

• Strategies, practices and outcomes around students mother tongue and second language development in Thai schools 
•  Strategies, practices and outcomes around targeted follow-up and support for migrant children in Thai schools 
•  Strategies, practices and outcomes around awareness-raising with Thai schools and communities on migrant children issues and needs 
•  Strategies, practices and outcomes around building links between Thai schools and migrant communities  
• Strategies, practices and outcomes around engaging and working with national and local government on the inclusion of migrant children in Thai schools.

Sustainability issues:  

• Analysis of the political, financial and technical-capacity of sustainability of the different approaches.

Recommendations:

• Opportunities for the expansion and scaling up of FRY and HWF best practice, strategies methodologies
• Key priorities for adjustment, further development and strengthening of HWF and FRY’s approaches and strategies
• Key priorities for enhancing sustainability
• Opportunities for policy advocacy strategies given the current and likely future social, political and economic climate around undocumented migrants and migrant education  

5. Research approach and methods

• Desk-bases secondary research (component 1)
• Primary field research and case studies (components 1, 2)
• Participatory action research (component 2)

6. Consultant’s responsibilities

• I.  Develop research design methods and framework in coordination with SCI-WE research committee and with HWF and FRY (e.g. Documentation and data analysis,  FGDs, key stakeholder interviews, class and school observation, ethnographic observation, planning-action-reflection workshops and PAR activities)
• II.  Developed a detailed work plan and research tools in coordination with SCI-WE research committee and with HWF and FRY
• III.  Hire research assistants if requiredIV.  Conduct research in accordance with the research design 
• V.  Produce an initial  detailed report focusing on all aspects of research component one situational analysis of Bangkok  
• VI.  Produce detailed reports on HWF and FRY case studies analyzing all aspects of research component two 
• VII.  Produce a summary report for public release “Policy report on educational access for undocumented migrant children in Thailand”  including summary and highlights of research components one and two focused on Bangkok and Mae Sot [5]
• VIII.  Revise and edit all documents, tools and reports as requested by Save the Children and the WE research committee until the final approval of the documents

7. Research Deliverables

• I.  Document detailing research framework, methods and timeline  
• II.  Research tools 
• III.  Research databases containing the primary and secondary data analyzed 
• IV.  Initial  detailed report focusing on all aspects of research component one situational analysis of Bangkok  
• V.  Detailed reports on HWF and FRY case studies analyzing all aspects of research component two 
• VI.  Summary report for public release “Policy report on educational access for undocumented migrant children in Thailand”  including summary and highlights of research components one and two focused on Bangkok and Mae Sot [6]

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[5]  Sections drawing on Mae Sot situation analysis based on information submitted by World Education

[6]  Sections drawing on Mae Sot situation analysis based on information submitted by World Education

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8. Key working relations

• Save the Children senior education research will monitor, support and approve all stages of the research
• The World Education Research Committee and team will give guidance and approval of the design and implementation of component  1 of the research
• The consultant will work closely with WE research team to ensure consistency in component one
• The researcher will work together with HWF and FRY to plan and implement components one and two of the research

9. Timeframe

• Research Component 1 should be completed by September 2014
• Research component 2 should be completed by November 2014
• (These timeframes are the maximum deadlines but earlier deadlines could be agreed if the quality and scope of the research can be assured).

10. Researcher qualifications and profile

• At least master’s degree in education, research, social sciences or other related field
• Expertise in issues related to migrant education
• Ability to work closely with community based organizations
• Thai language proficiency
• Burmese proficiency desirable )
• Demonstrated practical experience in conducting research amongst vulnerable groups
• Proven abilities to conduct interview and focus group discussion with minority groups
• Experience implementing Participatory Action Research methods
• Ability to write formal report in English
• Knowledge and practical experience in the migrant education sector is desirable

11. Management of research

• Save the Children must approve the research design and reports
• The consultant will work in close cooperation with Save the Children and World Education and the Research Committee  for component 1 of the research
• The research will work alongside Help Without Frontiers and Foundation for Rural youth
• The researcher will report to the senior education specialist (Tim Murray) on the progress of the research
• The researcher will take responsibility for their life insurance, work permit, entry visa but Save the Children will provide documents to support application as appropriate

12. Name of Partners Involved

• Save the Children
• Help Without Frontiers
• Foundation for Rural Youth
• World Education
• The Ministry of Education – Thailand ( on World Education Research Committee)
• The Suwannamit Foundation (on World Education Research Committee)
• The Burmese Migrant Teachers’ Association (on World Education Research Committee)

13. Consultancy Budget

The budget submitted should be between $6,000-11,000 USD

The financial competitiveness of the proposal will be one of the factors taken into consideration in the consultant selection process.

14. Submissions for the consultancy

The submission must address the terms of reference and include:

• Name and contact details of tenderer
• Experience/ capability of the consultant or firm
• The proposed approach and estimated timeframe for the research
• A detailed quote in $US.

Close date for submissions: July 18^th 2014

Submissions should be addressed to: HR and Admin Manager, Save the Children Thailand

Email: jaem.prachoommark@savethechildren.org

“We need to keep children safe so our selection process reflects our commitment to the protection of children from abuse.”