• Karen schools have always been organized and supported at the community level under the guidance of the Karen Education Department

• Poverty caused by war has made it impossible for communities to provide for teachers and students

2010-11 2009-10 Change

Schools 1,137 1,081 +49

Teachers 4,779 4,336 +416

Students 104,455 93,813 +10,151

Schools in Karen State

Karen Teacher Working Group

• KTWG was created in 1997 with the belief that given the opportunity, we Karen can develop and improve our own education system in spite of the Burmese military regime

• KTWG provides pre-service and in-service teacher training as well as education assistance to all Karen State schools

• We provide child-centered approaches that promote local language, culture and knowledge

KTWG’s Main Activities Are:

• Karen Mobile Teacher Training• Karen Teacher Training College • Karen Teacher Newsletter• Karen Education Assistance• Support Other Ethnic Group's Development

of their own Education Systems

Mobile Teacher Training Project

• Increase the number of teaching methods used by Karen teachers in their classrooms

• Motivate and support Karen teachers to continue to teach

• Increase the availability of teacher education for isolated Karen State teachers

• Ensure that the teacher education provided to Karen State teachers is useful, appropriate and relevant to teachers’ needs

Our Mobile Teacher Trainers (MTT) are unique in Our Mobile Teacher Trainers (MTT) are unique in Burma and Thailand. MTT visit teachers in their Burma and Thailand. MTT visit teachers in their schools throughout Karen State providing training and schools throughout Karen State providing training and assessment. MTT work to -assessment. MTT work to -

Mutraw District

KTWG Training

CentrePLANNINGEvery three months MTT gather at the KTWG training centre for planning and evaluation. Following this, they return to their districts.

COORDINATIONand planning with education leaders is done prior to every mobile training cycle.

SECURITYMTT face many dangers including Burma army attacks and natural disasters

COMMUNITYdiscussions are held with villagers to raise issues and gather information about community schools.

ASSESSMENTof teachers needs helps us define the type of in-service training we provide.

IN-SERVICEtraining is provided individually or in small groups in 1-3 day workshops in community schools.

INTENSIVE1 month workshops are held throughout Karen State during the summer vacation period. In March 2011, 783 teachers participated.

PARTICIPATORYtraining methods are used to promote trainee participation and active learning.

EVALUATIONof the past training cycle is undertaken by all members and is used to plan the goals and activities of the next training cycle.

Mobile Teacher Training Cycle

Karen Teacher Training College

• 2 year pre-service teacher education course for Karen State youth who agree to 4 years teaching in Karen State after graduation

• Academic knowledge upgrade, child-centered pedagogical training, and KED subject methodology

• Focus on community schooling and the incorporation of local knowledge and resources in schools – curriculum includes a 3 staged practicum in community schools

Karen Teacher Newsletter

• Bridge the widening gap between Karen teachers in Karen State and those in refugee camps

• Empower Karen teachers by providing them an opportunity to speak about their experiences

• Improve access to teacher education for all Karen teachers

• Establish an ongoing forum in which Karen teachers can discuss education and assess the status of their schools

Our newsletter is produced 3 Our newsletter is produced 3 times per year in Karen and times per year in Karen and English. 5000 copies of each English. 5000 copies of each issue are distributed to issue are distributed to refugee and Karen State refugee and Karen State teachers as well as other teachers as well as other interested groups. The interested groups. The newsletter aims to -newsletter aims to -

FUNDING CUTS

• Although promised 5 years of funding, in September 2007 (the end of the 2nd funding year) we were told our core project funding was to be cut in half effective immediately. This meant NO newsletter, NO Summer Vacation Teacher Training Workshops, as well as other severe program cuts.

• While this issue was resolved in 2009, it has raised concerns over the security of our education programs throughout Karen State.

• We have attempted to sustain these programs to the best of our ability while expanding our education assistance to Karen State schools.

Burma ThailandKaren State

Teachers – 4,779Students – 104,455Schools - 1,137 *** Sept 2011

Refugee camps

Teachers – 1,578Students – 34,496Schools - 67*** Sept 2011

Most international aid for education goes to refugee camps, but inside Karen State the need is much greater…

Education Assistance

• KTWG has been the largest supporter of Karen State schools since 2002

• In 2005 KTWG, Partners and KED formed the Karen State Education Assistance Group (KSEAG) to pool and coordinate assistance

• Starting in 2006 KSEAG provided teacher subsidies and student materials to ALL schools

Supporting ALL schools in Karen State in 2010-11 meant -

Purchasing and transporting 132,978 kilos of school supplies across the border and getting them to Karen State schools by boat, by truck and carried on the backs of over 24,200 community volunteers.Karen Education Support is the most comprehensive education support program in a conflict zone, not just in Burma…but the world.

The scale of this operation is massive and complex, especially due to the conflict, but it works because of the tremendous local level community support and desire for education.

KSEAG

• June-September: Collect schools stats• October-December: Teacher subsidy distribution• January-February: School and student material

transportation• March-May: School and student material

distribution• In participating in the design and implementation of this

program, KED leaders at all levels are developing the capacity to manage the Karen State education system

School Statistics

• District and township leaders thoroughly collect and verify student, teacher and school numbers

• Stats are used as a basis for distribution and monitoring

• Stats also determine which schools are receiving support from other donors

Teacher Subsidies

• Our goal is to help teachers meet their basic living needs, allowing them to remain in their positions as teachers

• In 2010-11, we were able to provide 3650 teachers with 3500 Baht each

• In 2011-12, we provided 4000 Baht per teacher

Student/School Materials

• We attempt to provide student and school materials at 50% of the level provided in the refugee camps

• In 2011-12, we are providing: 8 notebooks, 8 pens, 5 pencils and 2 erasers for 93,987 students, alongside teacher resources, books, sports equipment and basic health provisions

• Materials are brought to secure sites throughout Karen State from which communities collect them from February through March for the next school year

Transportation

• Transporting large amounts of funds and materials into Karen State poses many problems (military attacks, flash flooding, etc.)

• KED leaders at the district and township levels are responsible for organizing transportation and distribution of materials

Emergency Support

• Emergency support for destroyed materials, lost funds or other needs caused by Burma Army attacks or natural disasters is also provided

Monitoring and Evaluation

• Teachers collect their subsidies in person at distribution sites (maximum one day walk from their community) where photo ID and signature verification are used to determine authenticity

• KTWG members regularly check warehouses throughout distribution period (March-May)

• MTT verify that materials have reached schools and are being used properly

Eastern Burma Community Schooling

• Share the KTWG model with Ethnic CBOs Seeking to Develop Education in their Areas (currently 21 different organizations are participating in the project)

• Teacher Preparation Course for 15 different ethnic groups

• Mobile Teacher Training program across Eastern and Northern Burma

• Eastern Burma Teacher newsletter

Next Steps

• Last year 15% of teachers left their positions – mostly because they cannot sustain themselves. However, this dropout rate has decreased steadily since KTWG began – from 37% in 2001). There is still a lot of work for us to do but we have seen that our multi-faceted approach is working. We will continue to improve our programs in response to the situation.

Thank you for your interest

For more information please visit our website at http://ktwg.org

or write us at ktwghq@gmail.com

Karen Teacher Working Group

Thank you