The class I've been teaching for the last three months is no more. Originally, our plan was that I would volunteer with these guys, who are from the AKSYU, until I went home at Christmas - doing research training, and helping with editing or whatever else came up. But Tuesday night they cracked open the beer after dinner, and announced that there would be no more classes. A surprise going away party for me, I guess they thought beer would soften the blow. Its terribly dissapointing, for so many reasons. But, where they've been living has been operating as sort of a satellite office for their organizations, and there just isn't the funding to keep it open anymore.

Its also incredibly dissapointing to get this news a day after I read this. USAID has awarded the IRC an annual funding of $24.4 million for an "ambitious five-year program aimed at improving education and health services for Burmese refugees and migrants in Thailand." Part of this new program will also include working with local organizations on capacity building in the areas of education and health care.   more »

The Burmese Junta has been doing an excellent job of ensuring there will be no more student uprising. Heck, if there are no students, there can't be an uprising! Ridiculously low teacher salaries, government controlled curricula and costs of tuition have made it so that only those with connections to the military can get a decent education in Burma. Everyone else is left to choose between their schooling and their livelihood.

Here's an excellent article on education in Kachin State, from Irrawaddy Magazine.   more »