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No Time For Play: Tuition in Burma

Slug: Burma education

Reporter: Ko Swe DVB TV

Date: 11/02/2013

Burma spent just 5 % of its national budget on education last year. Three times ofthat went on defense.

Parents are concerned that the teaching in schools in not up to scratch and their

children are suffering.

Because of this, children as young as 7 are going to extra tuition classes until late at

night - missing out on vital recreation time.

Ko Swe reports from Rangoon...

TEXT

SFX at home

Aung Moe Tha is 12 years old. Before school he packs his bag and has breakfast.

His mother says goodbye and gives him his lunch in a tiffin box.

SFX going to school

After a full day at school Aung Moe Tha, like many children his age will attend extratuition classes.

Q : Who is your teacher at tuition, your own school teacher?

Aung Moe Tha clip 1 (Burmese, boy): No, he is a different teacher.

Q : Why don't you take your school teacher?

A :It is far, when it was near I did go there

Aung Moe Thas family recently moved house.

And since they did, his mother Mon Mon Myat says his grades have gone down.

Mon Mon Myat clip (Female, Burmese): At every monthly exam, he used to get 100

at Mathematics. Now we've moved to here and he has to go another tuition class. He

does not make as much effort as he did before and I asked him "Whats wrong, kid?"

He said he could get 100 in exams because his old teacher gave him the questions

prior to the exam.

SFX play piano

After school Aung Moe Tha plays the piano before heading off to tuition.

Aung Moe Tha clip 2 (Burmese, boy): I do not understand well at school, but it dounderstand at tuition class, because it has enough time at tuition class. And there are

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many students at school class and we only have 45 minutes for one section. And I

take tuition class, for more understanding.

SFX play outside

Despite recent reforms in the country, Burmas education system is woefully lacking.

Less than half of Burma's 18 million children complete primary school and only about

half of all teachers are qualified.

For parents wanting their children to do well, they must pay for extra tuition.

7-year-old Phyu Phyu is a first grade student.

Q :Where did you come from?

Phyu Phyu clip 1 (Burmese, girl): From tuition.

Q : When does it over?A : At 6 P.M

Q : Who are your teachers, from your school or from somewhere else?

A :From our school, she teaches at our Grade 1, she does Burmese literature.

Q : So your teacher in charge of a class?

A : Yes, she does.

SFX tuition class

Phyu Phyu also attends tuition.

Her teacher takes the class after the regular school day.

Those who attend are favored in the regular classes and get questions to exams. But

she misses out on vital play-time.

Dr Thein Lwin is a member of NLDs Educational Committee.

Thein Lwin clip 1 (Burmese, Male): Something learnt by heart is easy to forget. This

kind of learning cannot be applied in real life, social life, or at work and professional

life.

Older students feel the pressure more, like Thaw Zin Tun, first year student with

English major.

Thaw Zin Tun clip (Burmese, Male): I take tuition because, there is some weakness

of teaching method at school, and school classes are always crowded. Sometimes I do

not understand well.

Oversized classrooms, under qualified teachers and insufficient recourses contribute

to Burmas crumbling education system.

Thein Lwin clip 2 (Burmese, Male): There are usually some 80-100 students in everyclassroom, while the number of teacher is still little. More rooms are needed to be

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built. To reach all students in a class, we have to decrease the number of students. To

make reform in our education system, we have to redesign the size of our class rooms.

A teacher can manage well the room of 30 students. If so, teachers can teach well and

students have a change to raise questions. And class rooms will became more inter

active. That's why I think our class rooms should be redesigned.

During the military junta period schools were restricted to teaching a military-

approved curriculum. And universities were closed.

Now a reform process is underway there are steps to address education.

Although still small, government spending on education has increased this year.

And now foreign debts have been eased, President Thein Sein said he could spend

more on education.

Thein Lwin clip 3 (Burmese, Male): Educational reform is also important forBurma's reform along with political reforms, economic reforms, social reforms. The

youths of good education can bring a better economic life in the country, and become

a driving force for further development. So the government should focus on education

sector and should spent more money on it.

But rebuilding the infrastructure of a country takes time.

Poverty and conflict are still barriers to education.

For now, parents will have to keep shelling out for extra tuition if they want their

children to succeed.

For Asia Calling this feature is produced by Ko Swe from Rangoon.