Education development meeting in Burmese refugee

Teknaf, Bangladesh:  A meeting was held in a Burmese refugee camp on May 9 on ways how to develop education for children of refugees who have been living in Bangladesh, said a teacher of the camp.

An NGO, the Technical Assistance Institute (TAI), organized the meeting, which was held in the community centre of the Nayapara refugee camp. U Aung Aung Oo, a trainer of teachers of TAI chaired the meeting, the teacher added.

The staff of TAI, staff of World Food Program WFP), biscuit monitor, trainers of teachers and over 30 teachers from refugee schools attended the meeting.

During the meeting, the trainer of teachers explained how to develop education of children of refugees and asked for the views of teachers' who have been teaching in refugee schools, said Kamal a teacher.

One of the teachers said in order to develop education of refugee children, it is important to give children sufficient books that form the syllabus and provide necessary tools needed in teaching. There is also need to increase the salary of teachers.

A teacher's salary is only Taka 500 along with 20 kgs of rice per month, which is provided by TAI.

U Mya Oo and Jamil of TAI spoke at length in the meeting about the development of education for refugee children.

On April 7, at about 11:30 a.m. ambassadors of Japan and Germany accompanied by Wahid, the program officer of UNHCR, Head of Sub-UNHCR Mr. Low visited the camp. They observed the running of refugee schools for an hour, said a teacher at the camp.

In Nayapara camp at present, there are over 2,500 students and 45 teachers in eight schools. In Kutupalong camp, there are over 2,000 students and 40 teachers in eight schools. They teach Burmese, English, Mathematics, History, Geography and Science.

Refugees including the old and the young from both the camps, Nayapara and Kutupalong are keen to learn after some refugees' were resettled in Canada. Refugees who want to go to Canada are selected on the basis of their education, said Shah Alam Majee. ##