Small school, big heart

_{By: Lieng Lern (Tel:++6683 1537724)}

On 5 February 2008 I travelled to Loi Tai Leng to attend the Shan State National day.  It was a hot day. This is the first time for me to see a small village or rather town like village on the mountain.  It took us 6 hours to get there from Chiang Mai, the road has many curves, it is dusty and bumpy.  It was so dusty that the color of my hair changed from black to yellow.

We arrived at the Loi Tai Leng about noon, and then the authority let us stay at a nurse house. There are about 400 houses, one clinic and one school there. The school teaches up to 9th standard and at 10th standard, students can still study at Loi Tai Leng but have to take exam in Mae Hong Son.

Most of the houses are located beside the main road and many open small shops selling food, vegetables and snacks. On this mountain, the air is fresh and the scenery is breathtaking.  There are also many big trees around the mountains.
 
_{Children at Loi Tai Leng}

7 February 2008 is Shan State National Day so we went to attend the ceremony. And then, our entire S.H.A.N (Shan Herald Agency for News) group and other media groups went to meet Colonel Yawd Serk, Chairman of Restoration Consol of Shan State (RCSS). “The school in Loi Tai Leng builds knowledge for the children's future, after that they will choose which way they will go and work. We will support them to continue their education,” he declared.

After the press conference, I went to male orphans' dormitory. The male dorm is very small. However, it is the sharing place for 144 boys.  When the place is not big enough to house everyone, some have to go to sleep into the bush nearby and build small tents to stay. The boy live, cook and eat there.  All of the children are polite and look innocent. They are friendly and very welcoming.

When I speak with a teacher, the chicken disturbed us by making noises. However, we can hear each other and even make jokes and laugh at each other’s words.  “Teachers’ responsibilities are not only teaching but we also have to look after the dorms,” said Kawn Wan. One of the difficulties for being a teacher is to teach some 18 year old students who have never learned before.

The school in Loi Tai Leng is not only for Shan people but also for other ethnic groups such as Palaung, Lahu and Ahka.  The school has only one supporter and the funding organization is called NHEC (National Health and Education Committee).  There is not a single computer in the school. The students' life in Loi Tai Leng is very different from the life of other students in the city.   They heavily depend on the funding agency and without it they would not have money to buy food and clothing.  Kawn Wan provided a very good metaphor by saying, 'Our bodies are here in Loi Tai Leng but our stomachs are elsewhere', meaning their lives depend on the donors. 

“Our children have no chance to study in Shan State because their parents can’t support them, some have no parents to support and also the poor education system contributes to their lack of education,” he added. “In my eyes, everyone wants to have parents, people to take care of them, someone to love them and also they need teachers to depend on.  In this place, we are like a big family in the same house”.

After that we both were silent for a few minutes because I feel so sad that I couldn't find a word to restart the conversation. Outside the male dorm, there are some students who came in and some went to the valley for taking a bath.

Later, I tried to speak with a student. He seemed to appreciate talking with me. “When I lived in my hometown, I had no opportunity to study because we had to flee from the Burmese military all the time. In some countryside, the government doesn't allow us to build schools. They build schools in the cities or towns but we have no money to go to study there. On the other hand, I also had to help my parents in farming,” said Panti who wants to work in the foreign affairs department in the future.

When the conversation was finished, I went inside the male dorm. The place is very small and squashy.  There are no mattresses, only pillows, blankets and clothes hanging on the wall.  Normally, the blankets alone wouldn't keep them warm since they are on top of the high mountain where it is always windy and cold.  But too many people sharing the same room seems to keep them warm.  They have no desks to study so they all sit up next to each other on their bed and study.  Some read in silent but some read out loud.  They help each other out to do their homework.  Even though they have no parents and no relatives, they are cheerful, active and look mentally strong.

Later I went to a friend’s house and met a girl student whose father was taken as porter by the SPDC. During the conversation while my friend was preparing the mangoes and tea to serve us, the girl said, “I want to be a teacher because now we are facing difficulty. Sometimes if a teacher isn't available, we have to stop the lesson because there is shortage of teachers at the school.” Nang Noi, a 17 year old with red cheeks was saying while gazing outside the house.  She then continued, “When I lived in my hometown, my parent and I have to move because the Burmese military relocated us and therefore we went to Ho Mong and I attended the primary school there.  But, the life there was not good either. So, finally we came to Loi Tai Leng to study here.”

The school in Loi Tai Leng was built in 2000. Before it was built, children had to study at the monastery for 4 months. And then, students, with the help of some adults built up the school between the Thailand and Shan State border.  It is co-educational school and it has more than 700 students.  The school is a long way from the male dormitory, more than 1 km walking up and down the hills.

During the holiday, Kawn Wan said, students and teachers repair and enlarge their houses and school.  Older students went into the jungle, cut bamboos and thatches to build or repair their dorm. They take turns to work and organized well so that they could finish their work quickly.  Even though they are tired sometimes, they never complain.