Mawlamyine, 6 September
The Myanmar tuition system has revived under the military regime, and students are required to attend tuition classes, according to students’ parents and the education community.
The tuition classes, which were cracked down by the previous civilian government, revives during the military regime, and even kindergarten students were forced to attend after-school classes.
Even though basic classes are designated as free education, students’ parents claim that students are spending more time and money because they are forced to attend tuition classes.
“We are spending more money to pay for children’s tuition fees, which is affecting our family’s livelihood,” a student’s dad told Than Lwin Times.
There is no difficulty for families who can afford to pay for after-school classes, but ordinary parents have a financial challenge.
According to a CDM school teacher, “Under the military regime, schools are offering after-school classes for a fee until around 4:30 p.m., so tuition classes show up on the school campus, and KG students are also taking classes, but they spent money but did not get more knowledge”.
“For KG to Grade 12, tuition fees range from K 10,000 to K 100,000 per month, and depending on the subject, we pay 30,000 to 50,000 Kyats per language for external tuition classes,” the children’s parents said.
The military council issued a rule not to collect any fees from students, not to accept money or gifts, and not to sell class badges, school badges or other items, but there was no instruction regarding the tuition system.
Teachers were prohibited from offering tuition in order to eradicate the tuition system under the NLD administration in an attempt to improve the education sector.
The education community points out that the tuition system has lowered Myanmar’s education sector, so teachers need to enhance their skills.
Following the military coup, the majority of teachers joined the nonviolent Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM), resulting in a decline in Myanmar’s education sector.
However, the education community has criticized the military council for hiring new teachers without properly verifying their qualifications.
According to data from the Ministry of Education of the military council, more than 5.2 million students have enrolled in basic schools, private schools, and monastic schools in the 2022–2023 academic year.
News-Than Lwin Times
Photo-CJ
Thanlwintimes