Changing visa requirements and difficulties demonstrating access to funds are influencing where students from Myanmar choose to study, with some turning towards destinations that offer alternative ways to meet financial requirements or visas on arrival, according to Benny Toolseram, regional director for Southeast Asia at Global Education Alliance (GEA).
Speaking exclusively to The PIE News, Toolseram noted that the international education sector is rapidly changing, shaped by transnational education (TNE) and market diversification.
“Student numbers are dropping everywhere in the world. Institutions are growing everywhere in the world, partnerships are happening everywhere in the world,” he said.
But Toolseram told The PIE that students from Myanmar face particular challenges proving their financial circumstances because of disruption to banking services and difficulties transferring money internationally.
Student numbers are dropping everywhere in the world. Institutions are growing everywhere in the world, partnerships are happening everywhere in the world
Benny Toolseram, GEA
These barriers can affect applications to destinations where students must provide extensive financial documentation, he said.
Toolseram highlighted Germany and Ireland as destinations attracting interest from Myanmar students, citing less challenging financial requirements or access to a ‘blocked account’ system in which students can withdraw only a set amount each month to help them budget for life abroad.
He also described Malaysia as a stepping stone for students seeking to improve their English and prepare for further study overseas.
GEA estimates that it has helped recruit around 800–900 students from Myanmar to Malaysia annually, although Toolseram said Thailand attracts a larger number of students from the country.
Thailand receives around 20,000 Myanmar students each year, said Toolseram, attributing its appeal partly to its visa arrangements. In Thailand, he said, ASEAN students can apply for a student visa “on the ground”, with a decision coming within a week.
Malaysia, meanwhile, does not offer students a visa-on-arrival route – although Toolseram said visa processing can take as little as five days, provided students have all the required paperwork to hand.
Toolseram pointed out that political instability in Myanmar is also affecting student mobility as the authorities sometimes struggle to distinguish between people seeking to leave for education and those travelling for employment.
He said some students holding university offer letters were able to travel, while restrictions on certain categories of workers were more severe.
Toolseram also reported growing interest in overseas secondary education among students from Myanmar, with some leaving before the age of 18.
