The Mon State Department of Education will expand 69 basic education government schools for the 2017-2018 school year, according to U Myo Tit Aung, the department’s director. Most of the schools are located in difficult to access areas.
“We’ve mostly expanded schools in Ye, Kyaikmaraw and Bilin Townships, where communication and movement are more difficult,” U Myo Tit Aung said.
The newly expanded schools will begin to teach extra years of education. For example, expanded primary schools will now teach primary and middle school students. The 69 expanded schools include 11 high schools, 22 middle school, 12 post-primary schools and 7 primary school. The department also plans to expand 5 sub-high school, 10 sub-middle schools and 2 sub-primary schools, where students are taught by government teachers but must go to other locations for exams.
The schools that will be expanded are spread throughout Mon State’s townships, with 15 in Ye, 14 in Kyaikmaraw, 11 in Bilin, 9 in Thaton, 7 in Paung, 6 in Kyaikhto, 4 in Thanbyuzayat, and 2 in Mawlamyine.
U Myo Tit Aung of the Education Department added that they will also fill many vacant teaching positions in schools throughout the system.
“We have plans to fill the vacant teaching posts during this academic year, including in the schools that we’ve expanded this year.”
For the 2016-2017 academic year, there were 103 high schools, 50 middle schools and 887 primary schools in the government system. Between government, private and monastic schools throughout the state there are 400,000 students.
By Mon News Agency
