Arakan State Parliament has rejected the proposal for constructing hostels for the teachers working in rural areas as they continue facing problems without proper accommodations in their workplaces. Arakan lawmaker from Myaybon constituency U Aung Win placed the proposal in the Parliament on November 20, which was not passed.
“I insist on the proposal as the teachers in the rural areas face the hardship getting comfortable accommodation in those localities. If the teachers can stay at the rural locations, our children in those places can have a quality education. But the social affairs minister U Aung Kyaw Min argued that the State government had no finds for the project,” said U Aung Win.
He also added that the teachers, employed in rural schools, have to stay in villagers’ houses creating problems for both the house owners and the guests. “It is a major problem for the teachers working in rural areas,” asserted the lawmaker. Arakan social affairs minister, while talking to Narinjara News, admitted that the State government would like to build such hostels for teachers in rural areas, but there was no budget for the same.
“The Union government directly manages the budget allocation for education and health sectors. Presently we are rebuilding many schools thinking it more important than constructing hostels for the teachers. So I urged him to withdraw the proposal,” added U Aung Kyaw Min.
But the government has not totally rejected the idea having hostels for rural school teachers. It is expecting to repair the old schools first and reuse some materials for teachers’ hostel. Moreover the villagers will also be allowed to contribute for the scheme.
The Arakan government is also spending huge amount of money for the construction of roads, bridges, ponds and wells with the extra allocation of 15 billion Kyats received from the Union government.
One female teacher named Nwe from a village school in Pauktaw township told Narinjara News that they were facing difficulties because of no accommodation facilities in rural areas. She argued that the female teachers had to face more troubles in rural areas as they too have to stay in villagers’ residences.
Another lady teacher working in Kansick village of Pauktaw township, who wanted anonymity, argued that they found it difficult to use the same toilet/bathrooms with the house owners and also get little time to prepare the school curriculum living in temporary shelters.
http://narinjara.com/index.php/arakan-has-no-fund-for-village-teacher-hostels/
