Ven Ottama Educare Program

In 2003, I paid a short visit to a monastery in Rangoon; which is providing free language classes such as English, Spanish, Korean, French, German etc for adults. An idea swept over my head that it would be great if such program could be implemented in our fatherland. Such monastery-led education has been done so widely throughout Rangoon since long ago. It is the best way to upgrade education whilst there is hard access to education or proper education for poor family and youngsters inside.

What is the most important thing we should do right now for the future of the fatherland?
The answer would all be the same that we should promote education for the new generation if the above-mentioned question is arisen. So we have reached a point that we should do this. Then we must be practical. There have been more than 300 monasteries in Rangoon which are doing free education for the needy students.

Since around 2000, some visionary and thoughtful Arakanese monks who think that such free education should be done in Arakan as well started implementing free education for Primary, Middle and High School Graders in some area. Now there have been a few monasteries in Arakan now which are trying to raise such education access for the school graders in urban and rural area as much as they can.

Those education programs should be backed up

.
As everybody knows the true situations inside, of course they have financial hardships to extend the program. Those programs should not see the end on the grounds of financial problems while there are a lot of Arakanese who are now abroad and can support the program financially.

Our pennies matter for their life.

Whilst there is no any regular source of flow of money for those who are implementing such free education program, our pennies would be able to accelerate the program. A small amount of foreign currency (our money) would be a big help to get such education program move on. We give them just a little but they get a lot. Our pennies really matter not only for their life but also the future of Arakan because it hundred percent depends on the education of new generation. Everybody knows very well that education is the most important thing for the future of the land. The thought of today new generation of ours is the future of fatherland for tomorrow. So we really ought to support financial aides to make the program bigger and wider. We will reach our ultimate destination some day if we are desperate and patient enough. It will take but the move needs to be steered in a systematic and organized way.

Trust with money situation

It usually happens that we don not trust one another with money situations because there have been some sad stories before_ money was lost on the half-way before it reached its destination. For money situations, two young monks (about whom will be introduced briefly later) who are currently in Thailand will handle it. So anybody need not worry about it. Their contact number would be mentioned so that anybody can discuss about the long program or socially talk to them.

Brief historical background of this education plan

After a short visit to a free-education-providing monastery in Rangoon motivated an idea that it would be wonderful if such monastery-monitored High School education program could be carried out, I tried to gather some young active monks who harbor a keen interest in such education development and the effort was worthy as there was a group of young monks came out with who we all together reached a promise that we would raise education access for those have hard access especially in rural area. For sure, it took time to get to the point that some more monks became interested in the program. After a year, each went abroad respectively for further education to make themselves qualified enough to educate the youths and to bear out future young leaders. Now they are qualified and capable enough to implement such school education program no matter it is Primary, Middle, High School education or even some university education. They get ready now for that.

Some who remained inside since then have been endeavoring their best to seed the program. Now they also have reached a level that a few schools are open where all school graders can learn every school subject for the respective grades in some townships. Students need not pay even a penny to learn at monastery-led school. Nonetheless, we should support the program financially so that those graders have such easy education access for long.

Aims of this program

The initial idea of this program is to found monastery which gives educational support to school graders while they are schooling. Graders will live, have meal and sleep there. They don not have to pay even a penny for food, stay and tuition fee. Teachers would, if possible, be hired for each subject according to the different grades or young monks will be teaching all school grades. It is a firm belief that tuition teacher will come volunteer if the program is really successful.

For the students who matriculated, there would be English Classes (ESL) provided and they can still live in the monastery while they go to university if they wish to.

Those who matriculated would be teaching Primary School graders. The program would be running all year round.

Such free-education-providing monastery would be set up in all towns in the long run. However, it also depends on the fact that how much fund they have in order to run the program in the long run or how much we Arakanese (abroad) support those programs financially.

Thoughtfully, imagine how much the new generation would benefit from this program during next five or ten years. If that is the case, imagine how the future of Arakan would be within next ten years if this program is really successful or there are many educated people. To make this program, each and single Arakanese should share responsibility. We should think about our future, the future of our land. Education is the backbone for our ultimate destination. It is not only promoting the future of new generation but also our future. Their future is the future of Arakan. There would not be even a tiny space for us to stand up. The future of Arakan is ours. Imagine how much locals would be benefited from the program if a monastery could be founded in Site-tway; which can provide systematic education or many language classes such like in Rangoon.

The list of donors

Individual names would be mentioned with the amount of donation and every donor can contact the treasurer to make sure that all correct amount of money be sent. A careful handling would be taken with money situations.

It is the right time now that we should deeply think about the future of our land next 50 years. We should critically invest education of new generation for the sake of our future in the long term. If not, we would be far left behind other nationalities once again.

Let us help together the future of Fatherland grow gradually.

The collected money would be sent to a monastery which is providing free education for all school graders in Kyauk Taw township. The school is run by some young active, skilled and educated monks who devoted their lives for the good of the future of new generation. The school had around 100 students of all grades last year and this year there are over 200 students. For sure, they have financial problems and manage the school with a small amount of fund obtained from some locals and relatives. Our financial aids would be a big support and it is best if regular fund could be supported for the sake of new generation education in the long term.

P.S. Please introduce yourself first; name and country and the reason of your contact when you contact the contact persons. Then you can move on.

Contact persons: + 66-850-322-385
+ 66-831-827-718

I am sending the text file to you all coz I was told that the file can't be opened. I will appreciate any suggestions and edition or addition to it from you. Thanks for your time and cooperation.
With due respect to all,
A friend.

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