Report to the People

Tertiary Education for the people of Burma, of the people of Burma by the people of Burma 

The Rector of the All Ethnic International Open University AEI0U Programme, Prof. Dr Ma Tin Yee, affectionately known as Aunty Rosy, is the Director of the Empowering Women of Burma, as well as Professor at the Simon Fraser University of British Columbia, Canada.

AEIOU, operating as part of the EWOB (Empowering Women of Burma, Thailand) to cater to the educational needs of the refugees, Internally Displaced Persons, Migrant workers who have no choice but forced to seek a safe sanctuary in Thailand, does not consider itself an NGO even though it is running on the NGO line. It is entirely a Burmese National Humanitarian Organization including the patriotic Myanmar and non Myanmar intelligentsia, shouldering the national cause of education. In short it is working for the marginalized people of Burma by the people of Burma and as such in the policy decision; it is a self determining body in consultation with international friends and well wishers.

Way back in the early 90s, when the young Empowering Women of Burma, Thailand started silently with one sewing machine we realise that education of the refugees was paramount. We wrote the project proposal to a well known donor, who not only refuse our request but exploited our idea to launch its own existing educational program. “Let this Society implement it for after all they are working for the marginalized Burmese youths,” was our whisper response. Some started the Distant Education Programme (DEP) with correspondence but it does not work out, for there was little or no teacher pupil contact. Hence, after studying these lessons we came up with the AEIOU Programme.

The tertiary education became quite desperate and naturally the refugee camp leaders clamour to EWOB Thailand, to do something for the education of these youths. The secondary education, in the camp comes to a full stop after grade ten (or post ten). It seems that most of these intelligent youths have no future. It was discovered that the brave ones joined the ethnic armies and got killed, some drifted into the nearest town to become illegal workers, many got involved in narcotics while most of them get married soon and the vicious cycle begins again. The population in the refugee camp exploded threatening the surrounding villagers. Something must be done.

EWOB, Thailand could not stay with folded arms. An education research was launch by the like minded professionals in 1997. Most of us admire the Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University (www.stou.ac.th) where a student even though acquiring university educations, is not cut off from their roots the whole year but have to study and work in their own community for a certain period. Hence the idea of the AEIOU Programme, a community orientated was conceived, at the Paris meeting in 1999 with Ajarn Sulak  Sivaraksa and CCFD..

As a test case a pilot projects were launched in 2000/2003 for three successive years under the umbrella of a well known Santi Pracha Dhamma Institute which encouraged us in every aspect. It was found to be very successful as it runs on the Open University lines so that the students are not cut off from their community. The selected students have to come and study at (CMU) Chiang Mai University for the first semester in a peaceful university atmosphere, while in their second semester they have to organise and implement the assigned term or research papers in their own community.

A Karen teacher trainee getting teacher’s certificate

In conjunction with the CMU, the full project was launched in 2004 and since then hundreds of students have passed through our Programme. First we concentrated on the refugees, later the IDP (Internally Displaced Persons) were taken in and in the successive years, Migrant Workers and potential youths were taken in and now this year we have some 50 students plus at the same time.

So also the faculties were expanded first from Faculty of Social Science and Humanities and this year we expanded to the Faculty of Pedagogy and Medical Science, but always in a humble note because it is a war time education. We admired the Vichy Government of France in World War II and the North Vietnamese example when the Americans were bombing in the 70s.

.           We believe in furthering the peaceful development of education among young people of Burma and to develop and encourage among such persons knowledge of the cultural and historical development of Burma. The educational system in Burma has suffered because of the upheaval in schools and universities with closures, removal of institutions to remote sites, lack of freedom of expression, loss of qualified and experienced staff and teachers, maintenance of rote learning in schools and the failure to keep up with modern developments, and isolation from the rest of the world.

  

Some of the graduates on this year’s graduation ceremony

            Exposure to life in a democratic society is the main advantage to students studying here in Chiang Mai. We find in fact that many of our applicants already have an understanding of the evils of a dictatorship and an appreciation of the advantages of a free society. The students who graduated from AEIOU show that they become even more committed to serve their community. We would no doubt form new relationships with the authorities and with other education orientated non-profit organizations of the international community.

Dr. Ma Tin Yee

Rector of the AEIOU Programme cum Director of EWOB

Professor, Simon Fraser University, British Columbia, Canada 

Dated 13^th May 2007

 

2007 Budget Report
Expenses directly related to the Students	Euros
Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities
(1) Preparatory cost	15,000
(2) Lodging	6,000
(3) Equipment	3,000
(4) Recreation	1,500
(5) Clinic	2,000
(6) Kitchen and food	6,000
(7) Stationary	2,000
(8) University Ferry	4,000
(9) Communication	1,000
(10) Miscellaneous	1,000
(11) Research expenses for Students	5,000
(12) Uniforms, shoes, belt,  pocket money	1,500
(13) Transportation of Students (Chiang Mai &Back)	17, 000
Faculty of Pedagogy (Pilot project)
(Teacher’s Training)	23,000
	______
Total	88,000
Expenses for Faculty and Administration
(1) Honorarium, and related expenses for Professors	6,000
(2) Administration	2,000
	______
Total	8,000
GRAND TOTAL	96,000

* Note   The detail budget report has been submitted to the donors, who donated 5,000 and above. Anybody who is interested in our detail budget, please kindly contact us after donating Euros 5,000)

Contact email              profwin@gmail.com