Free school in Ann Twsp needs funds

By DMG 19 Jul 2022

DMG Newsroom
19 July 2022, Ann

A free monastic school run by a Buddhist monk in Khamaung Taw village, Ann Township, is seeking donations to pay its teachers and feed the students.

Run by the abbot of the Khamaung Taw village monastery U Awbasa, the school provides free education for children from needy families in the area.

There are currently 25 students at the school, which employs four teachers including a volunteer. The monk said the school needs funds for long-term operation.

“Of four teachers, three are paid. Their salaries cost K450,000 per month. The monthly [materials] cost is around 1 million kyats, including food for children and learning aids,” the monk told DMG.

The school mainly teaches middle and high school students, and is an affiliate of the basic education high school of Mel Let Maung village.

The school opened this year, and was initially intended for novices at the monastery. But needy local parents asked the monk to accept their children, which resulted in the free school’s more open enrollment policy as it exists today.

“We only have a primary school in our village,” said the monk. “The nearest village where students can go to a middle school is around a three-hour drive by motorbike from our village. Students can board, but their parents can’t afford it. So, I negotiated with Mel Let Maung school authorities and opened this school.”

Volunteer teacher Ma Mee Mee of the school urged donors and charities to provide assistance for the school.

“I would like to urge them to provide as much assistance as they can for the children’s future. Their parents have sent them to this school because they have serious financial difficulties, and I wish the children could learn without worries,” she said.