Aung Aung · @Aungaungsittwe
8th Sep 2013 from TwitLonger
#Myanmar’s education system and #Rohingya
All man's desires should be taken into account in the education he is given. Especially children receiving primary and secondary education, the wishes and desires of their hearts and spirits should not be ignored. Up to now, we have not paid attention to pure education in Burma; Dictators in Myanmar changed syllabus several times, used discriminatory system, students have no right for creative skill since 1965. Though Myanmar Government claims that our country is a secular country, and according to Myanmar educational law, religion shouldn’t be taught at schools, Myanmar dictators implemented Buddhism and Buddhist worship house in every school, started discrimination against non-Buddhists since 1988.
Can a religion be eradicated through positivist logic? Can religion be torn out of the people in whom it is rooted? According to Myanmar Government, it is possible. It has been attempting, through ideological education, to produce an anti-Islamic or anti-non-Buddhist generation since 1988. But due to dictators’ innate disposition, the official education was not successful in the greater part of the country.
The main principles of education should be 1. Having confidence in students 2. Inviting student to study natural science and social science in a natural way. 3. Realizing and illustrate the truths. 4. Stating that explanations concerning education should be directed only towards reality. 5. Developing students’ insight. 6. Instilling the principle, 'Take what is good and leave what is bad', and explaining the truth, 'One who sees good thinks good, and one who thinks good receives pleasure from life.' The principles of education is missing in most of the schools in Myanmar.
The tongue of disposition is more powerful and effective than verbal speech. An educator’s tongue and action can shape a student’s life and ideology. A good educator is useful for students’ futures and beneficial both to the nation and country. "Human being only becomes real human through pure education."
If education is satisfied in all social institutions from the family to the state, it would reduce mental tensions to the minimum. A significant reason for stress and behavioral disorders is individual and social despotism and arbitrary domination. Freedom can bring tolerance, dialogue, forbearance, and reconciliation; it put an end to the dilemmas which cause behavioral disorders. This in turn contributes to the maintenance of public order and peace. When teaching, instructing, and offering guidance, respect should be shown for the views of those addressed. The matters that are being taught should not be presented as the sole truth. Another way, whatever the kind of education, teachers and instructors should never neglect to be flexible when teaching.
The aim in education and guidance should be to prevent the sprouting of the seeds of division and anarchy, both with the individual and with society. Myanmar’s discriminatory education system is to last dictators’ power longer that rooted hatred, racism, and unhealthy ideology. I appreciate my Buddhist teachers who avoid implementing discrimination in their teaching. Not all teachers in Myanmar have such a bias ideology, but unfortunately, there are some who use the word “Kalar” for non-Buddhist students even in the classroom.
While Islamophobia is growing in the country as a result of state-sponsored campaign against Rohingya in the past three or four decades, the Rohingya communities have failed to reach out to the Buddhist majority and foster better relations or address the majorities’ concerns. This meant Rohingya being stripped of all their political rights, educational facilities, Mosques and Madrasa were also closed down. On account of all this pressure, 2 million Rohingya had to flee the country. Yet despite this emigration, 1.5 million Rohingya is still living in Burma, out of which, 1 million Rohingya are kept under blockage in Arakan State of Burma, who have no right for work, profession, education and medication since June 2012.
Since 1965, Myanmar dictators have been depriving all rights of Rohingya, especially educational right to make all Rohingya ignorance; only 10% Rohingya hardly achieved education.
After June and October massacre of 2012, Rohingya are not allowed to attend schools even some organizations requested authority to give chance for education.
In Many Rohingya rural settlements of Arakan , dictators didn’t build schools since 1965, some Rohingya tried to build temporary school for primary education.
12 years ago, Rohingya of Nyaung Chaung, Rathedaung TS, Arakan Burma, built a private school on a self help basis; provided teachers by villagers, spent all school spending together. After violence in 2012, the school was taken , made it high school and run by Rakhine authority. Last year no Rohingya student could attend that school, this year, some students got chances to attend as many people appealed to the authority.
On 19th August 2013, teachers took all students to grow plants in the shool compound. While they went outside, someone wrote on the blackboard of Grade-7 class “Rakhine are cows, Muslims are Rohingya” . When all students came back to their class, Grade-7 teacher saw the writing on the board, she asked everyone who wrote it , everyone said “We all went out, we didn’t write it” The lady teacher of Grade-7 advised them not to do any act which might cause conflict. As 20th and 21st August were public holiday, school closed those day, on 22nd August 2013, when students attended the school, a Rakhine teacher named “Maung Pu Chay” asked all 102 students of Grade-7, and beat them all including Rakhine students, he beat Rohingya students strongly.
On 26th August 2013, there was another similar writing “ Rakhine police are cow-like , Rakhine administration is terrorist, Rohingya will take over control very soon” written on a paper using soft pen, hang it in front of a Rakhine shop, Nyaung Chaung Market. Some Rakhine informed authority, security forces came and arrested 10 Rohingya who came for shopping from Min Lwe to Nyaung Chaung Market. Out of 10 Rohingya, there was a 12 years old Rohingya boy, security forces released the boy, confiscated 780000 kyats from Rohingya and sent them to Buthidaung where they were sentenced 2 years imprisonment each on 6th September 2013.
On 5th September 2013, police and security forces came to Rohingya village of Pya Pyin Down, and arrested 4 students , took them to the police station, asked them to write the same writing on board of Grade-7, 20 times each . Later, they were released threatening them if their writing is similar to the writing on the board, they will be charged for that.
In Sittwe, U Kyaw Hla Aung, an human activist, tried to educate children of Rohingya refugee, that caused him to live behind the bar. U Kyaw Hla Aung was arrested by Rakhine authority not because he did something wrong against the authority but because he wanted to educate Rohingya.
In MayBon, Rohingya refugee camp, there are 796 students; 2 from Grade-8, 9 from G-7, 12 from G-6, 63 from G-5, 40 from G-4, 57 from G-3, 75 from G-2, 220 from G-1, and 318 from KG, they have a dire bamboo school as you see in the picture, have no books and pencils, there are only two teachers, they need another 15 teachers.
In Kyauktaw, MinPya, Mrauk U, and Pauktaw, there is no school at all even the dire bamboo made, 1000s of Rohingya children are deprived early education, which can cause a terrible social chaos in the society.
Depriving a child’s education is 100 times worse than killing him; it is a crime against humanity. Could you please consider Rohingyas’ education sincerely?
Lack of knowledge, an uneducated person may create his own hell for the both Worlds. (Rohingya Proverb)
Thank You
Sincerely
@Aungaungsittwe