Clearly the major challenge is to secure funding and work is being progressed in that area by the local network of Burmese education workers.
It was a ve
ry sad moment one day as I sat with Hle Bee's headteacher, Tha Zin. She was thanking me for raising the £5000 that will see them through till October 08. Tears rolled down her face though as she told me that she had hoped this would be her dream money to develop her school. What was she going to do with it? Buy 5 sewing machines, 5 computers and a car to transport children more reliably. Now the money is used for essentials - rent for the land, water, teachers' salaries etc. Her dream postponed...
The next challenge facing Hle Bee is how to manage the 150 children now enrolled in nursery and the 2 kindergarten classes. Here you see Tha Zin stand in land at the back of the school that she would love to see developed into classrooms for the early years.
They have divide.bmp)
d these 150 children into 3 classes of 50, all within the main building of the school. The youngest children are called Nursery but are in a room with no resources at all. The other 100 children are in Kindergarten A and Kindergarten B. They have 2 spaces in the main school building. One space is a classroom space with desks and benches for 50. The other space is the space UNDERNEATH Tha Zin's house, which the main building is built around. Again the only resource here is some rush mats for comfort. When Fiona, the Scottish teacher, walked into Hle Bee School and saw Kindergarten A learning under Tha Zin's house, tears filled her eyes. The Hle Bee teachers came up with the idea of alternating Kindergarten A and Kindergarten B in the space under the house and in the classroom, which is great for the children.
.bmp)
d these 150 children into 3 classes of 50, all within the main building of the school. The youngest children are called Nursery but are in a room with no resources at all. The other 100 children are in Kindergarten A and Kindergarten B. They have 2 spaces in the main school building. One space is a classroom space with desks and benches for 50. The other space is the space UNDERNEATH Tha Zin's house, which the main building is built around. Again the only resource here is some rush mats for comfort. When Fiona, the Scottish teacher, walked into Hle Bee School and saw Kindergarten A learning under Tha Zin's house, tears filled her eyes. The Hle Bee teachers came up with the idea of alternating Kindergarten A and Kindergarten B in the space under the house and in the classroom, which is great for the children. .bmp)
However, the smallest teacher in the school gets the job of teaching EVERY DAY under the house. She might be small but she has to teach permanently bent over or sitting on the floor. It's also very hot under the house. So these early years teachers face huge obstacles in teaching - unsuitable space, no resources, too many children and yet they remain completely committed to professional development, to new ideas, to advice, to serving the school with optimisim and joy. We never heard them moan once. What an inspiration they are to us...The next major challenge is the interface between the Thai Ministry of Education and the Burmese Learning Centres. This is too complex to go into here. We understand a little of the dynamic but not enough to write about with any accuracy. Perhaps it's enough for you to know that this is a difficult area, as you can imagine. It could be a fruitful area but both groups have their own desires and dreams and finding common ground is tricky.
These are the most obvious challenges facing Hle Bee in the months to come. Not easy for them to manage with so little resources but their greatest resource is Tha Zin and her team who live to serve the families of Hle Bee School. (I've blurred the faces in this photo.)
5 comments:
Hi Sheila
Well the box of tissues at the computer is well used now, we are all upset at the news that Hle Bee has to struggle so much just to survive.
The image of the 50 children in each nursery class having no proper resorces is awful, we all think we have so little but really we have so much, as a family we will be doing what we can to support le Bee in the difficult coming months.
Gladys
One thing we can easily do, Gladys, is gather second hand Duplo over the next year. It is a great resource as we will show on videos in days to come. It's far too expensive for them to buy but it's size and durability make it a great resource to share with Hle Bee. It's always good to have something practical to do, isn't it? You're a wee treasure. I wish you could come and meet the Chair of Hle Bee Parent Council. You both have such heart for your schools. Thank you for following the blog and for all your comments. You won't believe how much it means to hear from you and the family. Sheila
I'll second Sheila's comments there, Gladys! It will help so much to have the support of all your family to continue to raise awareness of all the issues that Hle Bee face. Look forward to a good blether in a couple of weeks! Fiona
Hi Sheila,
I can start the Duplo collection with a very big tub that my kids have outgrown. How does ti get to Thailand though?
Bill
Murray is coming and going a fair bit this year, starting in September. We will also be having our return visits, the first in September. Whoever goes next year can take it too. That is brilliant, Bill. Thank you.
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