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TEACNER TRAINING CENTER FOR BURMESE TEACHERS
TTBT 2004 Narrative Report
Presented
by Dr. Thein Lwin
10 January 2005
1. Introduction
Teacher Training for Burmese
Teachers (TTBT) is a non-profit educational center operating independently in
exile, currently based in Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand. It seeks to improve the quality
of education in refugee camps, internally displaced persons areas and remote
areas of Burma, by training new teachers,
promoting active learning and critical thinking, providing professional
development opportunities for existing teachers, and developing educational
policy and practice. The program includes initial teacher training, advanced
teacher training and Reading and Writing for Critical Thinking (RWCT) workshops.
The program focuses on primary and junior secondary education. Ninety-three
teachers have graduated from Chiang Mai teacher training alone; 110 teachers
completed the RWCT training in first and second years and 160 teachers are
currently attending the RWCT third year training. In December 2004, 60
teachers in Kachin State, Northern Burma joined the RWCT four-week
workshop led by Dr. Thein Lwin and Nan Lung.
1.1 Initial Teacher Training
Dr. Thein Lwin and Nan Lung have
been organizing initial teacher training in Chiang Mai since 2001. In 2001
the training program was affiliated to NHEC - an umbrella political
organization coordinating health and education along the Burma border. The 2001 training was a
three-month course with 31 students completing the training. After this
training Mary and Steve Wootten (UK) provided a
training of trainers’ workshop in Chiang Mai. Six graduate students of
the 2001 training and two Kachin teachers, Hting Nan (La Nan) and Dwelling also joined the
trainers’ workshop.
In 2002, the training program
began working independently of any political organizations and has since
focused purely on education under the name of Teacher Training for Burmese
Teachers (TTBT). From 2002, the course extended to six months. In 2002, 14
students, in 2003, 25 students and in 2004, 23 students completed the
training. The students were awarded a ‘Certificate in Education’
on completion of the training. The students were selected from different
ethnic nationality groups of Burma. The selection tried to ensure an
ethnic and gender balance but most were Karen nationals because the majority
of applications were from Karen refugee camps. Almost all students
(approximately 80%) went back to their communities and now work as teachers.
The training provides teaching
strategies in literacy, numeracy, social studies
and sciences across curriculum. The training uses a handbook written by Steve
Wootten and Mary Wootten
of University of Newcastle, UK. Mary Wootten
was a supervisor of Thein Lwin when he was studying in Newcastle. In 2004, the training included
strategies for Reading and Writing for Critical Thinking
(RWCT) written by Jeannie Steele, Kurt Meredith and Charles Temple.
1.2 Advanced Teacher Training
The intention of the program is to
provide professional development opportunities for experienced teachers. In
2002, six students were sent to study education at the University of
Newcastle, UK. This scholarship program was supported by Prospect Burma and Open Society Institute. Five
students were awarded B.Phil in Education and one
student (Nan Lung) was awarded Master of Education in Special Educational
Needs. Nan Lung is working with the teacher-training program and the other
students went back to their communities – Kachin,
Karenni, Karen and Mon – continuing their
work in education.
Since the cost is too high to
study abroad, the program has initiated an Advanced Teacher Training Course
in Chiang Mai. The Advanced Teacher Training Course, an intensive three-month
course in Chiang Mai commencing in March 2005, will be a pilot one. With
regard to a certificate of accreditation, the program is trying to affiliate
with a Thai University in Chiang Mai.
1.3 Reading and Writing for Critical Thinking
The Reading and Writing for Critical Thinking
(RWCT) project is based on the idea that democratic practices in schools play
an important role in the transition toward democratic societies. Active in 30
countries of Central and Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Latin America and South-East Asia, RWCT introduces research-based instructional
methods to teachers and teacher educators. These methods are designed to help
students think reflectively, take ownership for their personal learning,
understand the logic of arguments, listen attentively, debate confidently,
and become independent lifelong learners. The program can be used in all
grades and subjects with existing curricula. The RWCT Northern Thailand
project for Burmese teachers is a part of the international RWCT program
initiated and funded by the International Reading Association and Open
Society Institute based in Washington DC and New York respectively.
As suggested by Maureen Aung Thwin of OSI, Dr. Thein
Lwin discussed with Prof. Karin Dahl of Ohio State University (RWCT volunteer) and Jill Bettenhausen of International Reading Association the
establishment of RWCT workshops for Burmese teachers. Promoting critical
thinking in Burmese schools is one of the recommendations in Thein Lwin’s thesis on Citizenship Education submitted to
the University of Newcastle, UK. Through his interest and involvement in
RWCT, Thein Lwin has now become a trainer and certifier of the RWCT Northern
Thailand Project.
In 2002, 25 teachers from Karenni and Karen camps and from Mae Sot joined the first
year RWCT workshops. In 2003, first year participants organized workshops in Karenni Camp 1, Mae Khong Kha Karen Camp and Mae Sot. Ninety teachers joined the
second year. In 2004, the RWCT workshops were organized in six places –
2 Karenni camps, 2 Karen camps, Mae Sot and Chiang
Mai. One hundred and sixty teachers joined in the third year. Dr. Thein Lwin
and Nan Lung work as coordinators of the RWCT project.
In December 2004, RWCT extended to
Kachin State, Northern Burma. As invited by the Kachin leaders, Dr. Thein Lwin and Nan Lung went to Kachin State and provided four-week RWCT
workshops with 43 student-teachers and 18 senior teachers (two sessions). See
further details in section 6.
However, OSI granted support only
for two years 2002 and 2003, first and second year of the RWCT project. The
second year money was used for two years (second and third years) by spending
minimum workshop expenses. For the Kachin RWCT
workshops, we used the rest of Chiang Mai teacher training budget for the
workshop materials, handouts and travel costs. Kachin
Education Department provided food and accommodation at the Mai Ja Yang Teacher Training School. Donors supporting the Chiang Mai
training are listed in section 7 of the report.
1.4 Organization of this Report
This report mainly focuses on the
2004 initial teacher training in Chiang Mai. This includes the content of the
course, trainers, students, observers, donors, Kachin
visit, constraints and comments.
Further information of the teacher
education program led by Dr. Thein Lwin can be viewed on the web site: www.educationburma.org
2. Contents of the Course and
Trainers
The six-month training started on the 26th March 2004 and covered the following subjects:
Theories of Learning
Reading and Writing for Critical Thinking
Teaching History
Teaching Sciences
Teaching Mathematics
Teaching Burmese
Education Art
Assessment of Students’ Performance
Special Educational Needs
Classroom and School Management
Dr. Thein Lwin EdD
introduced theories of learning such as brain-based learning, social learning
and cooperative learning theories. This module includes a critical review of
the evidence for learning styles and multiple intelligences. Dr. Thein Lwin
and co-trainer Nan Lung MEd demonstrated teaching
strategies for reading and writing for critical thinking (RWCT). The RWCT
strategies cover almost all subjects and all primary and secondary grades. In
addition, the training provided more in-depth approaches to teaching history,
sciences, mathematics and Burmese. Rose Metro, MA, a teacher at the Millenium Arts Academy in New York and a history scholar, led
teaching history. British teachers Tony and Anne Stokle
taught sciences, Ms. Dwelling BSc led a mathematics
session, U Thein Win BCom taught Burmese, and
artist Ms Chaw Ei Thein demonstrated art
techniques. Dr. Thein Lwin introduced assessment of students’
performance and Nan Lung discussed special educational needs. U Thein Win
also guided classroom and school management.
The students were provided with a
foundation course that included study skills, library skills, computer
skills, English proficiency and academic writing. The students were
encouraged to read books in the training center library. There are about 4000
books in the library including encyclopedias, mathematics, sciences, history,
geography, music, art, physical education, health education, novels,
biography, stories, poems, general knowledge and many other books in the area
of education such as philosophy, curriculum, assessment, reading and writing
strategies and teaching methodologies. U Htet Aung BSc provided computer
lessons, Dr. Kha Lum DMin, Dip. Linguistics taught English. Rose Metro also
guided academic writing. Our Thai staff member Seng
Naw, who was hired for the RWCT project as an
accountant, taught basic Thai language and conversation.
The above subjects and teaching
strategies offered on the course are particularly useful for Burmese teachers
in that they promote an improved quality of teaching in the classroom, and
encourage students’ active learning and critical thinking as opposed to
the predominantly authoritative teaching and rote learning practiced in
Burmese schools.
The Academic Advisors for the
training program are Mary Wootten, University of Newcastle, UK and Karin Dahl, Ohio State University, USA. Also, Prof. Jeannie Steele,
Prof. Kurt Meredith, Prof. Terry McEachern and
Prof. Janet Richards from USA frequently give advice for a
betterment of the course. All trainers and advisers are volunteers. The
Chiang Mai training could not hire paid staff because of limited budget and
insecure funding.
3. The Students, Training Venue
and Materials
Thirty students (14 female and 16
male) were selected from over 100 applicants from many different regions of Burma. Four selected students did not
join the training – one Shan, one Rohinger
from western part of Burma and two from Mae Sot. Three
students dropped out from the training – one went to a third country
with the UN resettlement program; one for health reasons and another one for
personal reasons. Twenty-three students completed the six-month course. The
names of the students, with gender and their regions are as follows:
1. B. Lum
Nyoi F Kachin
2. Kareng
Aung La M Kachin dropped
out in July
3. Sai Htein Khur M Shan
4. Sai Sint Han M Shan
5. Rebecca F Lahu
6. Juli
F Wa
7. Mu Ah
Yai F Karenni
8. Maw Soe
Meh F Karenni
9. Wha Wha Aung F Karenni
10. Khu Teh Reh M Karenni
11. Khu Klaw Reh M Karenni
12. Saw Htee
Hla M Karen/Mae Ra Oon
13. Saw Hser
Nay Moo M Karen/Mae Ra Oon
14. Naw Hsa Wah F Karen/Mae Ra Oon
15. Naw
Shine Moo F Karen/Mae Ra Oon
16. Saw Hla
Min M Karen/Mae Ra Oon
17. Stephen Wright M Karen/Mar Ra Oon
18. Naw
Eh Dailia F Karen/Ma Ra Moo
19. Naw
Anna F Karen/Mae Ra Moo
20. Naw
Mi Shar F Karen/Mae La
21. Saw Htee
Ku Sot M Karen/Mae Sot
22. Daw Htet Htet Aung
F Burman/Mae Sot dropped out in July
23. Mi Sa-Non-Son F Mon
24. Ko Kyaw Soe M Tavoy
25. Aung
Mran Soe M Rakhine dropped out in June
26. Salai
Sam Bik M Chin
It was a very good opportunity for
students of different ethnic, language and geography backgrounds to share
their experiences, views, food, tradition, history etc. The training
encouraged the students to respect others views, ideas and values. The
teaching strategies practiced at the training promote peace building as
recognized by UNESCO (see: Learning to Live Together published by
International Bureau of Education, Geneva).
The training bought 5 computers
for students. The students could use the Internet and email 24-hours online.
The training also bought a white board, tables, chairs, fans, refrigerator,
beds and kitchen utensils for the students.
The training rented a three-storey
apartment for student accommodation, classroom, library, computer room and
office. It was convenient for the students although expensive – it cost
Baht 22,000 per month plus around Baht 10,000 per month for water and
electricity. The students cooked for themselves for dinner and at the
weekends. Ah Ji, a Kachin
lady from the Church helped us to cook for breakfast and lunch in the school
days. This kind-hearted lady sent Kareng Aung La who got electric shock to hospital to save his
life. Nan Lung and Thein Lwin were not at the training venue while this
accident happened. Our Thai staff-member, Seng Naw also helped with the welfare of the students.
Except for the organized trips to Chiang Mai University, Doi Suthep and Sunday Church services, the students were not
allowed to go outside of the training campus since they had no legal
documents to travel in Thailand. At our request, Thai local
security officers brought the students to Chiang Mai from the Burma border, kept an eye on the
training and were very helpful. The officers suggested that the students stay
quietly in the campus.
For the first few months the
students were happy at the training making new friends and gaining new knowledge.
However, after three months, they felt that they were in a prison. Some of
the students played guitar and sang loudly which led to a neighbor calling
the police to stop the loud noise, the police warned the students and they
stayed quiet again. We sometimes held a party and special dinner to help the
students relax. In August, the security officer who looked after the training
suggested that the students should apply for work permits in order to get
legal status in Thailand. The Thai government allows
Burmese illegal immigrants to apply for work permits to work as construction
workers, farm workers and cleaners. We did as the officer suggested but our
students came to Chiang Mai not to get a paid job but to study, so this
course of action was not pursued.
At the end of August, the students
went back to their communities to undertake teaching practice for a month as
a part of the course. All of the students, Nan Lung, Seng
Naw and Thein Lwin were arrested by Thai
immigration just before the students left for their communities. We were
investigated at their office the whole day and released us at 9:00pm. The students were tired and
frustrated.
The original plan was for the
students to come back to Chiang Mai after their classroom practice to take
more lectures and to write term papers. However, traveling costs were too
high to come back to Chiang Mai and to go back to their communities since
they cannot use public transport and needed security officers’ help.
The original budget allowed Baht 3,000 travel cost for a student. If we
brought back the students to Chiang Mai, it might cost 4 or 5 times of the
original budget – Baht 350,000 (USD 9,000) in total. Therefore, we
decided not to bring the students back to Chiang Mai and suggested that they
write their term paper in their community following teaching practice. If
they had been able to write term papers at the training, they could have used
the library, computers and Internet, whereas, in their communities, they had
no access to such facilities.
Mary Wootten,
Steve Wootten, Kathleen Haldane,
Nan Lung and Thein Lwin visited the students in their communities, encouraged
their studies and gave them practical advice for their term papers.
4. Meeting with the Students in
Their Communities
Mary and Steve Wootten
came to Chiang Mai to teach at the training in October 2004. Since the
students were not in Chiang Mai, we tracked down the students in Shan State on the Thai-Burma border, Karenni refugee camp, Karen refugee camp and Mae Sot. As
well as meeting students who were taking teaching practice, the group also
met with students who had graduated from the training in the first, second
and third batches.
On the 8th
October 2004, we met Karenni students, Ah Rai, Maw Soe Meh and Klaw Reh just outside the security gate of Karenni
Camp 1 situated on the Burma border of Mae Hong Son Province in Thailand. We also met Tamalar
Htoo and Ray Htoo of RWCT
first batch there.
On the 16th
October 2004, we went to Mae Sot and met with the students at Dr. Cynthia Maung’s nursery school. We met there four
generations of the Chiang Mai teacher training – Naw
Mi Shar, Mi Sa-Non-Son and Htee
Ku Sot of 2004 batch; Day Nya Paw and Day Day Stone of 2003 batch who are now teachers in Mae Sot; Naw Ni Shar and Ohnmar Khing of the 2002 batch,
who are also teachers in Mae Sot; and Po Cho and Thaung Nyunt of the 2001 batch,
who teach in Mae Sot. We also met RWCT first batch students Paw Ray and Thazin there. We also met Moo Lay Khu,
a 2002 Newcastle University scholarship student who is now working
as a coordinator for camp education with the Karen Education Department.
On the 17th
October 2004, we met 8 students from Mae Ra Moo and Mae Ra Oon
camps on the Salween riverbank on the Burma border. They came down from their
camps along the river for 2 hours by boat; we had a 5-hour drive from Mae
Sot. The students were Htee Hla,
Hser Nay Moo, Hsa Wah, Shine Moo, Hla Min,
Stephen Wright, Eh Dalia and Anna. We also met
there two RWCT first batch participants, Po Kaw and
Dwe Gay who are senior teachers in Mae Ra Moo camp.
This area was not safe. Indeed, just the week before, there had been a bomb
blast at a food shop on the riverbank. Anyway, we were happy and the students
were happy for our meeting.
On the 24th
October 2004, Dr. Thein Lwin went to Karenni camp 2. It
was a 4-hour walk across mountains from the nearest Thai village. The
children (five ten-year old boys, 4th grade students) of Thein Lwin’s former students and their friends waited at
the beginning of the forest and guided him to the camp. He met Wha Wha Aung
and Teh Reh of 2004 batch
of students who were doing their teaching practice in the camp. Thein Lwin
also met first batch students Naw Paw Shar and Po Tada. Naw Paw Shar is now head teacher of a junior secondary school in
the camp. Po Tada is the camp education officer. Dr. Thein Lwin also met Mahn Saw, head of Karenni
Education Department. Mahn Saw intends to build a
library in the Karenni camp and asked Thein Lwin to
help them to get books.
On the 30th
October 2004, Mary, Steve, Nan Lung and Thein Lwin went to Shan border in Chiang Rai Province of Thailand. Two of the 2004 students, Sai Tham Hker
and Sai Juim Haan were working at a Shan community school inside the Shan State of Burma. We met them at a Shan State Army
liaison office in a Thai village near the Burma border. The liaison officer had
arranged our meeting. The school where our student-teachers are working is
situated inside Burma among four military posts –
Burma army post, Wa
army post, Shan army post and Thai army post. Lives are very risky in this
region.
Mary and Steve Wootten
may write about their experiences of tracking down our students. It is very
good that Mary, Steve and Kathleen could see for themselves the true picture
of the lives of our students. The international community may understand the
educational situation on the Thai-Burma border when they read Mary &
Steve’s snapshot.
5. Observers
Other indicators can also
demonstrate what our teacher training is like or how the situation is developing.
The training received a number of visitors who were interested in both the
teacher training and, more generally, the educational situation inside Burma, the refugee camps and along the
Thai-Burma border. In 2004, the following overseas visitors came to Chiang
Mai and visited our training venue. Some visitors invited Thein Lwin to their
hotel and asked about the training. Many local visitors have frequently
visited the training.
On the 16th
January 2004, Ms. Claire Barnes, a British lady, visited the training office and
offered a donation having received information about the training program
from Prospect Burma.
On the 2nd
February 2004, Ms. Martha Loerke and Ms. Vera Johnson of
the OSI Network Scholarship Program visited the training office and discussed
the impact of the OSI scholarship program.
On the 25th
February 2004, a Canadian teacher Mr. Scott O’Brien visited the training
office. He is working with the Karen Teacher Working Group.
On the 9th
March 2004,
Mr. Michael Webster of Richard Hua Education Trust
visited the office and offered a donation.
On the 15th
March 2004,
Ms. Heather Graham of the Foundation for the People of Burma, USA and Mr. Murray Forgie of Burma Educational Scholarship Trust, Scotland visited the training venue and
asked about the training. The Foundation for the People of Burma co-funded
the Chiang Mai training in 2003.
On the 18th
April 2004,
Prof. Karin Dahl and Prof. Terry McEachern visited
the training venue and met with the students during their trip to Chiang Mai
to mentor the RWCT workshops.
On the 3rd
May 2004,
Ms. Liz Tideman of OSI Thailand visited the
training venue and met the students.
On the 6th
May 2004,
Mr. Michael Webster of Richard Hua Education Trust
and Khun Pongkw of Payap University visited the training venue and
met the students.
On the 4th June, Ms. Rose Metro,
our volunteer teacher from USA arrived at the training venue and
taught for three weeks.
On the 18th
June 2004,
Mr. Eric Van Vessem of Burma Central Netherlands
visited the training venue and asked about the education situation inside Burma and along the border. On the
4th July 2004, another Burma Central Netherlands official visited the training
venue to discuss a health education program which is planned to run in Mae
Sot at Dr. Cynthia’s clinic in 2005. Dr. Thein Lwin will be an adviser
on the program.
On the 19th
July 2004,
Ms Patricia Herbert of Prospect Burma visited the training venue, met
with the students and donated some books for the training library and Baht
7,000 for hospital charges for the student who had received an electric
shock.
On the 24th August 2004, Mr. Scott
Hansen, Vice Consul of US Consulate in Chiang Mai together with Ms. Liz Tydeman of OSI visited the training venue, met the
students and asked about the training program. They were also interested in
the origins of the students and the difficulties that the training was
facing.
On the 30th
September 2004, Mr. Richard Kraft who was working for USAID evaluation visited Chiang
Mai and invited Thein Lwin to his hotel and asked about the teacher training
program.
On the 1st
October 2004, Mary & Steve Wootten and Kathleen Haldane of Newcastle, UK visited Chiang Mai for a month
and tracked down the students along the Thai-Burma border together with Thein
Lwin and Nan Lung (as stated above).
On the 1st
November 2004, Mr. Bob Anderson and Ms. Miriam Addy from Britain visited the training office to
discuss a teacher education program at Durham University, UK.
On the 2nd
November 2004, Mr Hal Nathan of Foundation for the People
of Burma, USA visited Chiang Mai and invited
Thein Lwin and Nan Lung to his hotel and asked about the training. Some
donations will be possible from the Foundation in future.
On the 3rd
November 2004, a group from New Zealand led by Roger & Jennifer
Wilson visited the training office and donated World Atlases and footballs.
On the 17th
November 2004, Frau Rita Sasse and Herr Berthold Koperski from Cologne, Germany visited Chiang Mai and stayed for
two weeks. They also visited Mae Sot together with Thein Lwin and Nan Lung
and observed the RWCT workshop with migrant teachers in Mae Sot.
On the 18th
November 2004, Dr. Bernard Leeman of SOAS, London University visited the training office and
discussed the potential of business studies for Burmese students.
The above visitors may be viewed
as yardsticks to measure the depth of the training.
6. Kachin
Trip in Detail
As stated above, Dr. Thein Lwin
and Nan Lung visited Mai Ja Yang in the Kachin State on the China-Burma border in
December 2004 and provided a four-week workshop for Kachin
teachers. Du Kaba Gauri Zau Seng,
Deputy Chairman of the Kachin Independence
Organization arranged our trip to Mai Ja Yang in
communication with the Kachin Education Department
and Mai Ja Yang Teacher Training School. Former Chiang Mai teacher
training graduates, Hting Nan and Seng Ra, and Newcastle graduate Hkun
Seng are currently working at the Mai Ja Yang Teacher Training School. Hting
Nan is the head teacher, Hkun Seng
is deputy head teacher and Seng Ra is a senior
teacher. Hting Nan attended the 2002 Training of
Trainers’ Workshop in Chiang Mai with Mary and Steve Wootten. Seng Ra was a third
batch 2003 Chiang Mai training student.
Mai Ja Yang Kachin Teacher Training School wish to
introduce student-centered teaching strategies into Kachin
schools. Kachin schools usually used the same
curriculum and similar teaching methods to Burmese schools. Therefore, they
invited us to introduce student-centered strategies. Dr. Thein Lwin had also
intended to organize RWCT workshops in Kachin State. However, there was no funding
available for a Kachin RWCT program. Thein Lwin and
Nan Lung decided to use the rest of the Chiang Mai teacher-training budget to
cover their travel costs to Mai Ja Yang. The Teacher Training School provided Thein Lwin and Nan Lung
with food and accommodation at the school.
Sixty-one teachers joined the RWCT
workshop: 43 student-teachers at the Mai Ja Yang Teacher Training School attended the day session (1:00-3:30pm) and 18 senior teachers joined
the night session (5:30-8:00pm). The workshop completed RWCT
guidebooks 1 to 5 out of 8 guidebooks. We are planning to return in 2005 to
complete all 8 guidebooks.
During the visit, Dr. Thein Lwin
and Nan Lung met with U Sum Lut Gam,
Head of the Kachin Education Department. U Sum Lut Gam suggested that Thein
Lwin provide training to Kachin Education officers
in 2005. There are 35 education officers under the Kachin
Education Department. Kachin Education Department
runs 100 primary schools, 18 junior secondary schools, 4 senior secondary
schools and a teacher training school inside Kachin State. There are 20,000 students and
1,000 teachers in these schools. These schools are independent from the
Burmese government but Kachin grade10 students have
sat the government’s examinations every year since the cease fire
agreement in 1995. The examination takes place in Myitkyina
inside Burma.
The Head of Education also asked
Thein Lwin to help them to get books for their library. Kachin
young people are willing to read books but it is difficult for them to get
books to read. Thein Lwin and Nan Lung made a reading survey of the Kachin students and found that many students have no
books at home. All students read whatever books they can borrow and say that
they wish to read more. However, there is only a small collection at the Mai Ja Yang Teacher Training School library and no library and no
internet access at the secondary school. There are many hotels, restaurants,
pawnshops and casinos in this border development, but we did not see any
bookshops in Mai Ja Yang.
We were also invited to Mai Ja Yang High School, Intensive English Program and
the Pan Kachin College as guest speakers. We visited
each for half a day, gave lectures and discussed the development of education
at their schools with the students and teachers. Mai Ja Yang High School is attended by 600 students at
both primary and secondary levels. It is difficult for the school to get
qualified teachers and other teaching resources. We met high school students
and answered their questions. In particular, a student asked us how to
organize a library at their school. Intensive English Program (IEP) provides
intermediate level speaking, listening and grammar courses for high school
graduate students. We suggested that the IEP teachers provide reading and
writing courses as well. Prospect Burma partly supports the IEP program. Pan Kachin College, run by a Kachin
NGO provides English, Chinese, Computer and GED courses. There were about 60
students on the two-year course at Pan Kachin College. The students had completed
secondary education from Kachin High Schools and Burmese Government Schools in Kachin State. These young people are looking
for the opportunity to get university degrees abroad and vocational
education.
We also met former Chiang Mai
training graduates: Lut Ze,
a first batch (2001) student, is now head teacher of Liza High School; Roi Ja, a third batch (2003) student teaches English at Liza High School. Another third batch student Gam Maw is now an education officer in the Kachin Education Department.
Thein Lwin and Nan Lung will go
again to Mai Ja Yang in September 2005 to give a
workshop with the education officers and continue with the RWCT workshop.
They will also take books for the Mai Ja Yang
library.
7. Funding
The following individuals and
charitable organizations funded TTBT 2004 Initial Teacher Training in Chiang
Mai:
§ Prospect Burma, London
§ Richard Hua
Education Trust Fund, Singapore
§ Help without Frontiers, Italy
§ Mary and Steve Wootten, University of Newcastle, UK
§ Karin Dahl, Ohio State University, USA
§ Janet Richards, Florida University, USA
§ Claire Barnes, Malaysia
§ Rita Sasse
and Berthold Koperski, Cologne, Germany
The total income for the 2004
training is Baht 1,326,000 (USD 34,000). The total expenditure in 2004 is
Baht 1,175,000 (USD 30,000). For the 26 students, it cost about USD 1,000 per
student to complete the six-month course. In addition, 60 teachers in Kachin State could attend the one-month
training within the 2004 budget. Detailed income and expenditure will be
submitted with the financial report.
8. Constraints
We have been facing some
difficulties in organizing the program. Running a program in exile produces
these constraints:
§ Students living in refugee camps
are not officially allowed by the authorities to attend training Chiang Mai.
§ The cost of the security
officers to facilitate bringing students to Chiang Mai is higher every year.
§ Students’ behavioral
change affects their study since they are not allowed to go out freely
because they have no legal documents.
§ The training program is not
officially recognized in Thailand and it is difficult to find
secure funding.
§ Since we do not have enough
funding, we cannot hire paid-staff for the training. Thein Lwin and Nan Lung
do everything, including recruiting students, organizing the training,
teaching, traveling, reporting and fund raising, and are busy throughout the
year.
§ We are only able to pay a small
honorarium to local trainers, which prevents them
from staying longer with the program even though they are interested in it.
However, the program has had a
rich experience over four years and is prepared to continue under difficult
conditions.
9. Advanced Teacher Training 2005
The teacher-training program will
organize an Advanced Teacher Training course in March 2005 for three months.
This course is designed for teacher trainers and senior teachers and will
provide the following updated course:
§ Theories of Learning
§ Reading and Writing for Critical Thinking
§ Reading Comprehension and
Writing Strategies
§ Language Art
§ Teaching English as a Second
Language
§ Practical Classroom Management
§ Assessment of Students
Performance
§ Special Educational Needs and
Pastoral Care
The facilitators will be Dr. Thein
Lwin, Ms Nan Lung, Mrs Mary Wootten,
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