"Why are Students Fleeing the Burmese Education System?...In military ruled Burma, parents are struggling every day to afford basic education for their children. This is true in urban areas but the situation is even more acute in rural ethnic regions of Burma. As a consequence, many young ethnic people from southern and eastern Burma face the only option of leaving their homeland to seek education in refugee camps located on the Thai-Burma border. Thelay, 16, an ethnic Karen student living in Tenasserim division, southern Burma told us her family?s story. Thelay?s grandmother has lived all her life in rural Tenasserim where she raised Thelay when her parents died. She is old now and needs to eat healthy, protein rich food, however this is just too expensive. She spends all her money on extortion by Burmese soldiers and above all trying to educate her granddaughter. Thelay pitied her grandma but felt helpless. She wanted to study very much but school fees are just too high for Burma?s rural villagers like them. To overcome this impasse, there is only one option. ?If I go to the refugee camp, I will be able to continue my study. If I don?t go, I am sure that I have to quit,? Thelay said.,,"