Young Karen students in traditional dress

According to Saw Moe Aung, a teacher at Hpa-Pya Village in the Win Yaw area the Karen National Union (KNU) Education Department in Win Ye Township, which oversees the Win Yaw area, said that students in the area must wear traditional Karen dress on Mondays and Fridays.

Though the students wear traditional Karen dress on Mondays and Fridays Saw Moe Aung said that the teachers feel under pressure because they have not received official government permission to let students wear traditional Karen dress.

He said: “When higher authorities [from the government educational department] came to inspect the schools and took photos on the days the students were wearing their traditional dress we [teachers] felt under pressure because the [government education] department did not order it [the wearing of traditional Karen dress]. It would be better if the Karen [KNU] Education Department met with the relevant government departments and released official confirmation [of these orders].”

The Karen poet Saw Yaunt Thar Eh San thinks it is important that ethnic students be allowed to wear their traditional dress.

He said: “By wearing your own ethnic dress, you are able to preserve your culture. Even in universities, [the students] are wearing their respective traditional ethnic dress. Wearing traditional dress is a symbol of race. [The authorities] need to make it official.”

Government schools in Karen village in Win Yaw area have been wearing Karen traditional costumes on designated days since last year and other government schools in Mon and Shan villages have also been wearing their traditional costumes on designated days.

Translated by Thida Linn
Edited in English by Mark Inkey for BNI