The Mon State Education Office has given authority for township-level educational offices to appoint ethnic language teachers based on the needs of their respective areas.
"They can appoint [the teachers] as necessary under their own arrangements,” said U Myo Tin Aung, director of the Mon State Education Office.
A Mon language textbook that is
being used in schools. (Photo –
Min Latt’s Facebook)
Additional ethnic language teachers are being introduced into schools where there is shortage, but they must be able to teach ethnic literature outside of regular school hours, he explained.
According to the Mon State Education Office, ethnic language teachers will receive a monthly stipend of only 30,000 kyats.
Cho Cho Myat Aung, deputy director of finance for the Mon State Education Office, said: “We asked for the yearly budget based on the number of teachers currently teaching in June and July. We will ask for an increase if there are more teachers needed because of an increase of students taking ethnic literature [classes].”
In Chaungzon Township, the township education office has appointed a teacher for every 30 students.
Since 2013, the government started allowing ethnic Mon, Karen, and Pa-O literature to be taught in school in Mon State. Under the former military regimes, it was banned resulting in many people not being able to read and write in their mother tongues.
A total budget of over 298.6 million kyats has been submitted to the government for paying ethnic language teachers in Mon State.
Currently, there are 1,106 instructors teaching the main ethnic languages that are spoken in the state. Broken down by ethnicity, there are 501 teaching Mon; 384 teaching S’gaw Karen; 138 teaching Pwo Karen; and 83 Pa-O language teachers.
Reporting by MNA
17 August
Translated by Thida Linn
