Last week I posted a comment over at Burma Digest on a post about the AEIOU program. AEIOU is an open university program for Burmese nationals, and is based in Chiang Mai. Part of the requirements of the program is that students return to their communities for study and work for part of the year. You can read the full post and comment here. Given the number of undocumented refugees from Burma living in Thailand, I was curious as to how they could meet such requirements, if they were unable to return to their own communities, or had no 'community' in their current situation. Professor Kanbawza Win sent me a personal reply, which is copied in its entirety below.

Dear Sir,

Thank you very much for your interest in AEIOU and the enquiry. No genuine refugee can legally stay in Chiang Mai or in any Thai City as according to Thai law (if it is an law abiding person) even if his parent are legal migrant workers and stay in Chiang Mai and the son/daughter is a refugee, then that son/daughter must stay in the refugee camp like any other refugees. Hence, this question is an impossibility.

However, as in the clarification if he is an IDP or a migrant worker, we work it out to see whether he serves his own community of migrant workers and IDPs. This is crux of the Open University a sort of a barometre to see whether that student is really intent to serve it own community or not. Obviously more than 50% of the students failed in this test because their true color shows. We don’t want the best, the most intelligent but who is available and willing to serve its people and the country. In Burmese we say Lu Daw Lu Kaung and not the BSPP way of Lu Kaung Lu Daw, for we cannot make a Lu Kaung into a Lu Daw but we endeavour to make a Lu Daw into a Lu Kaung.

Your second questions of “those who need education the most will be the least ably to comply with this requirement.” are very good. A student after passing two years and writing a term paper of 50 pages plus (second year) about his community is admitted into a third year provisional students where he became a senior student something like half student and half teacher. This is where his/her character is seen (selfish or obliging) of whether he/she is eligible (using her talents for the community e.g. music or physical assents) for scholarship abroad. If we are in doubt then a one year practicum is assigned and if he passed we send them abroad for one year in one of our affiliated universities. Hence the questions of going abroad just for studies are not the rationale, for we always send eligible students abroad. All of our students have come back and work. If one goes to any refugee camp and point out a youth leader, it will be one of our alumni.

Constructive criticism and enquiry couple with love and sincerity are always welcome. “Action speaks louder than words”. You are welcome to join us in anywhere you are to make this tertiary education more successful.

Prof. Win Ph.D
Dean and Director of International Affairs of AEIOU Programme
Professor of Simon Fraser University of British Columbia