June 14th, 2022
A total of 47 Kaman high school students from Tharyarkone village in Sittwe Township in Arakan State have no access to schooling although the school has reopened since around two weeks ago.
Basic Education High School (Branch) in Tharyarkone village remains closed till date. The students are not allowed to attend other schools, a Kaman parent of the student.
“This is the discrimination between the students. I am worried about it as other children have a chance to attend the schools. The schools don’t even accept our enrollment. I want my children to have a chance to attend the schools,” she added.
Students from Tharyarkone village had to attend No.10 BEHS located about two miles from the village as the village had no school.
Former Education Minister Dr. Myo Thein Gyi, former Arakan State Chief Minister U Nyi Pu, the Arakan State education officer, the township education officers and officials visited the village, in the tenure of the government led the National League for Democracy (NLD) in 2018. Then, the green-light was given to the construction of the BEHS (branch) and the Basic Education Middle School (BEMS) in the village, villagers and the parents of the students said.
Teacher Daw Nyo Nyo Aye said: “The township education officer does not allow the school to open in this academic year citing that it is not an official school. In fact, this is an officially-recognized school. In 2018, the middle and high schools were built for Kaman races.”
Due to the shutdown of the school in the village, the students have to enroll at No.6 BEHS and No.9 BEMS in the military compound. No.9 BEMS alone accepted the school enrollment of the middle–level students, but not high-school students.
U Maung Ni Thar, a town-elder from Tharyarkone village said: “The people in any country should have the equal rights to education and others. It is a discrimination against our Kaman children when other ethnic children are learning their education.”
Kaman race takes faith in Islam and is one of seven Arakan races.
Ma Hnin Wityee, the grade-11 student said: “I have attended the tuition for around one week. The subjects are not easy due to the new system. We were expelled from the tution. Why does the education department not allow us to attend the school?”
Arakan State Education Officer U Ba Htwe Sein said: “We are working on how to solve this problem. There are two ways to solve it. Later, we will reveal the plan. It is too early to reveal it.”
After the Arakan-based news outlet covered the news about the school, Arakan State Education Officer U Ba Htwe Sein and officials inspected that school on the afternoon of June 13th.
Sent by Khaing Lu Hla (Yomamyay)