Karen State Needs to Recruit over 1,000 Teachers after Upgrading Schools

Over 1,000 teachers need to be recruited after the Ministry of Education upgraded 261 government schools in the Karen State within this month, according to the state education officer U Soe Myint.

Nine high schools, ten high school branches, 53 middle schools, 21 middle school branches, 31 post-primary schools, 99 primary schools, and 38 primary school branches have been upgraded within this month.

“Opportunities have been given to the children to continue their education by upgrading the schools. They have the opportunity to continue learning secondary education after [the schools] have been upgraded as high school branches. Around 1,000 primary school teachers and 200 high school teachers are needed after the school upgrades. This arrangement has been made for students to continue their education without a pause,” U Soe Myint told Karen News on May 25.

The state education society pointed out that the state’s education college and pre-service primary school teacher training institute cannot produce enough teachers as only around 600 teachers graduate every year. The state is also facing a shortage of high school teachers as only a low number of them have been produced from education colleges.

“Many students drop out of school without completing high school. They have a chance to complete their education after the school level has been upgraded. Staffs have been needed since last year. If we can’t recruit teachers on time this year, we will have to rent them,” Saw Han Wai Linn Kyaw, headmaster of a high school branch in An Hpa Gyi Village of Kawkareik Township, told Karen News on May 26.

According to officials from the state education department, the department has submitted to the Department of Basic Education about the need to recruit 1,200 teachers for the government schools within the state.

The Karen State has 1,770 schools and it is facing teacher shortage every year. Some schools are still recruiting local village residents as teachers, according to local residents.