Who we are
Karen Refugee Committee Education Entity (KRCEE) is the education office of Karen Refugee Committee (KRC). KRCEE's objectives and purpose is to develop and give administrative support to schools and camp education offices in seven refugee camp communities along the Thailand Burma border. KRCEE does so in close cooperation with international non-governmental organizations. Our organization KRCEE is organized in two levels of administration. The central administration has a staff of 22 and is situated in Mae Sot. The areas of administration is divided into the Office of Board of Directors, Department of Basic Education, Department of Higher Education, Non-formal Education Program and Unit of Operation Administration. The second level of administration is on camp level with offices in the refugee camps. KRCEE has 63 camp based staff, divided on a representative Committee of Camp Education Entity and an executive Office of Camp Education Entity. Karen Refugee Committee was established by the refugee communities in the camps which are predominantly inhabited by people from Karen State in Eastern Burma. Still, KRCEE represents the education system in the seven camps regardless of ethnicity History The situation of refugees from Burma in camps in Thailand is one of the most protracted in the world. As almost three decades has gone by the camp education system has established basic and higher education. Since 2009 KRCEE has had the overall management and policy development responsibilities for the seven Karen refugee camps. Refugee camps established in Thailand In 1975, there were a few refugee camps on Thai side of the Thai-Burmese border. As Burmese military operation came to its peak in 1984, there was a dramatic increase in refugee influx in to Thailand. The refugee camps have been permitted by Thai authorities since 1984 on the understanding that they are a temporary solution. Refugees have limited freedom of movement and are not legally permitted to engage in education or employment outside the camps as they will be considered to be illegal immigrants. This forced them to rely heavily on relief organizations. The Karen Refugee Committee (KRC) was formed in 1984. The purpose of the Committee was to represent the whole refugee camp population and coordinate with various international as well as community based organizations in providing basic needs for refugees. Increased organization From 1995 to 1997, the camps were relocated and became centrally controlled by Thai Ministry Of Interior (MOI). Currently there are nine refugee camps; two in the north with a Karenni majority and seven in the south with a largely Karen population. At this time a wider range of education service was allowed and provided. The number of refugee children under 15 years of age increased and the enrollment to school reached 28,000 in the Karen camps. Schools used materials available within their camp communities but use the same curriculum. |
in 2001, Karen Education Department (KED), a department under the Karen National Union, government of Karen State, took responsibilities for coordinating education activities as well as directly managing and supervising some activities both in Karen State and in the refugee camps.
Since 2005, United Nations has run a third-country resettlement program in the refugee camps. This has provided resettlement solutions for more than 90,000 individuals with refugee status. Still, the number of refugees in the camps has not decreased with a steady flow of new arrivals from Burma. The establishing of KRCEE By 2009 an increase in the scale and scope of education activities in the refugee camps combined with a strategy of international NGOs to phase out, realised a need for strengthening the KRC Education Sector. Thus, on April 2, 2009, the decision was made to form a new community based organization, KRCEE, under KRC Education Sector with responsibilities for overall education management in the seven Karen refugee camps. By May 2009, KRCEE formed a camp level Committee of Camp Education Entities (CCEE), and in late 2010 the Parent and Teacher Association (PTA) were established in all schools. |