Children of the Shan Diaspora and of Yunnanese immigrants are allowed to attend their village schools. In principle, the schools cannot issue them the certificates, so attendance is not obligatory.


Consequently, many children do not attend school. At school, these children are obligated to study with Thai children under the same curriculum, instruction and evaluation criteria. Opportunities for further higher education for these children are small. In comparison, it is found that Yunnanese children are more likely to get Thai citizenship than Shan children, paving the way for more opportunities to further their studies. In addition to formal education, the Shan and Yunnanese children learn from their families, monks and community leaders.


Lawa and Karen children are legally entitled to get Thai citizenship, so compulsory education is mandatory for them. School curriculums are not especially designed for hilltribes, but the 1978 Primary Education Curriculum used in other state-run schools is used. Therefore, their schools are required to adjust the contents to suit the local contexts. Besides formal education, Lawa and Karen children mainly learn from their families, particularly their ethnic languages and animistic beliefs.


Some shared educational problems these children encounter include language of instruction (Standard Thai), the qualifications of teachers and the congruence of curriculum contents with local contexts. For immigrants and displaced children, their problems start from there being inconsistent guidelines for school admissions to their being unable to get certificates after graduation, which deprives them of better education and careers.