Teacher shortage fails Karen kids
Myint Kanpon residents aim to increase the numbers of teachers at the government primary school in Myint Kanpon, Dawei Township, Tenasserim Division.
Saw Chit Chit, a Myint Kanpon villager, explains.
“In our village, there is only one teacher that is nominated by the Government. Two more teachers are nominated by the village and paid for by subsidies of 50,000 kyat a month donated by the student’s
parents.”
The village’s elders requested the education office in Dawei Township increases the numbers of teachers from its Education Department, rather than getting villagers to pay extra.
Myint Kanpon village has to rely on one primary school. If students want to continue their education to middle and high school, they have to leave home and continue it by boarding in Dawei Town. This adds an additional expenditure of 250,000 kyat [approximately USD $280]a month which would take three months to make the money as a daily laborer.
A Myint Kanpon student’s parent said.
“It costs a lot of money to send a child to school. We have two children to send to school, but we cannot afford it. When our eldest son is in Grade 10, the youngest son will have to be rested for one year from
school. He can only re-join the school after his brother passes grade 10.”
Karen News tried to confirm with the Dawei education office if the government plans to increase teacher numbers for this year, but failed to get a response from the authorities.
