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Teacher Training

Pyinya Sanyae Institute of Education (PSIE) in Yangon aims to enhance educational opportunities in a country where conflict and unrest has limited such opportunities for decades. By building the capacity of teachers, this project will help to improve the quality of education available in Myanmar.

PSIE has been operating for over ten years with more than 140 graduate teachers teaching across remote and rural Myanmar. The institute trains teachers to use a child-centred pedagogy rather than the memorisation method which is common across Myanmar, and runs programs to provide education for children from disadvantaged and vulnerable backgrounds.

PSIE is seeking support for the training of its teachers and staff. PSIE has formed a partnership with Help University in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to provide high quality training to student teachers in Myanmar.

“Catholic Mission [has] thought a lot about promoting good quality education for our people. With your generous support we can see the benefits for children from different places, diverse cultures, beliefs and religions.”

Cardinal Charles Maung Bo, Archbishop of Yangon

This year, with the help of your school we can:

  • Train the 30 teachers at PSIE who will study 27 subjects in the diploma,benefittingup to 900 students across Myanmar.
  • Develop environmentally conscious trainee teachers, who will become environmental advocates and share this with students.
  • Provide the trainees with skills to facilitate art for healing and creative development, especially for children who have experienced trauma.

From Cardinal Bo:

“In all of this, where is the Catholic Church in Myanmar? I can tell you with confidence that, at least until now, we are where the government is not. We are in the slums; we are in the camps for internally displaced people; we are working with our friends in the Buddhist and Muslim communities to promote inter-faith harmony; we are providing education, healthcare and livelihoods; we are advocating for our people.”

Cardinal Charles Maung Bo, Archbishop of Yangon, 2016

Having lost her father at the age of two, and her mother ten years later, Min Min and her five brothers and sisters were left in the care of their local parish priest. With civil unrest common in Myanmar in the mid1990s, Min Min and her family were often moving from village to village for their own safety.

Education for Min Min and her siblings was not easily accessible. Without the support of their parish they were often not allowed to attend schools in the villages they settled in. Min Min was lucky to be able to move to Yangon, the largest city in Myanmar, after she completed Grade 1 to continue her education. Moving back to her family and their remote village community after finishing school, Min Min started volunteering at the local school, started by the Church – this sparked her love of teaching.

Through her volunteering, Min Min learnt about the opportunity to study teaching at PSIE in Yangon. She is excited at the chance to become a teacher, learning new skills each day to engage and encourage children. Min Min has already completed one year of practical training, and is very much looking forward to graduating so she can help educate and support children in her homeland who otherwise have limited access to quality, child-centred education.

“I really want to be a skillful teacher, to give real education to them. I really want to give what I’ve learned so that I can help them improve.”

Driven by her own challenges as a young child, Min Min is now passionate in wanting to give children a better chance at school. She understands the gift that she has received and wants to ensure younger generations have every opportunity of a full life.

Did you know that the high school rate of attendance is only 58%.

Students are invited to create fundraising activities and collect donations from family and friends for their efforts.