Karen Education in the Thai-Myanmar Border Regions

By Hayso Thako and Tony Waters 24 April 2023

Karen language training continues to be sturdy within the Thai-Myanmar border areas. There are presently over 130,000 kids being educated in Karen colleges operated in Myanmar by the Karen Nationwide Union (KNU) and the Karen Refugee Council (KRC) in Thailand. These colleges are profiting from mom tongue-based ideas of literacy, which emphasize that literacy begins with the house language. Because the Nineteen Eighties at the very least one million folks have accomplished the essential Karen curriculum centered on Karen literacy, with a lot of these persevering with to secondary and post-secondary training the place packages are taught in Karen and English.

Karen language training continues regardless of the marginalization of Karen colleges in Myanmar since Ne Win’s 1962 coup. At the moment, Karen colleges within the Delta Area had been changed with Burmese language colleges from the Burmese Ministry of Schooling. Since then Karen techniques of training have remained sturdy in border areas exterior management of the federal government. Certainly, Karen packages might have even strengthened after many government-funded colleges had been shuttered following the emergence of the Civil Disobedience Motion (CDM) in 2021.

Karen training is powerful as a result of, partially, it moved into Thailand, the place colleges proceed each in refugee camps, and in migrant colleges. The Karen language instruction in Thailand is usually organized by the KRC, which additionally gives help to colleges nonetheless operated by the KNU inside Myanmar. The Karen colleges in each locations replicate Karen training traditions inherited from the Karen colleges in Burma, which started within the Nineteenth century. They do that whereas utilizing educating methods and pedagogy tailored from the West, which practice college students to be “important thinkers” for a Karen democracy.

Growth for the reason that 1840s

Karen training really started within the 1840s with the event of contemporary Karen literacy, the institution of a printing press, and the emergence of education. The earliest efforts had been within the Irrawaddy River Delta and Rangoon (now Yangon). This led to a fast growth of the Karen faculty techniques over the next a long time. Karen and English language packages flourished across the massive Christian mission compound in Bassein (Pathein, the capital of Ayeyarwady Area) within the Irrawaddy River Delta, in addition to in Rangoon.

Baptist Mission main colleges amongst Karen had been first opened by American Baptist missionaries in 1852 at Bassein. A Karen secondary faculty was opened in Koesue in 1854. The Karen Baptist Theological Seminary was already established in 1845 in Rangoon to coach pastors literate in Karen and English.

The Bassein Sgaw Karen Regular and Industrial Institute taught English, Bible, Arithmetic, Geography, Historical past and Well being, together with Nineteenth-century vocational topics like carpentry, joinery, wheelwrighting and rice manufacturing. There isn’t a indication that Burmese language was a medium within the Karen colleges, besides as a topic.

After 1962, Karen colleges declined when Ne Win’s authorities nationalized the Karen colleges, and insisted on a “Burmanized” curriculum emphasizing Burmese language, historical past, and nationalism. Karen lecturers skilled in Karen Instructor Schools had been changed with Burmese-speaking lecturers skilled in authorities schools.  Mom tongue-based Karen language instruction moved into the highlands, the place unbiased colleges had been re-established by the KNU. After 1984 Karen education additionally moved into refugee camps in Thailand supported by the United Nations Excessive Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and worldwide NGOs.

Impartial Karen faculty techniques emerge

The KNU resisted Burmanization by establishing their very own colleges.  The training techniques they established favored, preserved and reproduced Karen language and tradition underneath tough circumstances. On this style, Karen training survived, whilst Karen training declined within the Irrawaddy Delta and the capital, Rangoon.

This didn’t cease Myanmar’s navy from attempting to unfold their management into the mountains. In 1995-96 the KNU capital at Manerplaw was captured. The Karen Schooling Division (KED) continued to function colleges inside Burma, even because the Karen Refugee Committee—Schooling Entity (KRC-EE) primarily based in Mae Sot, Thailand, turned extra essential. Mockingly this strengthened the Karen education system as a result of it put the varsity system into contact with worldwide organizations serious about academic reform. As soon as established within the Nineties, the KRC-EE reevaluated how fashionable pedagogical approaches can be used successfully. Younger Karen lecturers studied these methods in the USA, Australia and Canada, after which returned to implement packages within the refugee encampments and in Mae Sot. The packages had been profitable, and shortly refugee colleges obtained not solely Karen college students from KNU managed areas of Myanmar, but in addition ethnic college students from Yangon, Ayeyarwady and Tanintharyi in search of a Karen and English media curriculum.

Karen training within the border area as we speak

The KRC’s Schooling Entity developed the Karen curriculum by adapting the older KNU-KED curriculum, which in flip, was primarily based on the Karen curricula developed in Nineteenth-century Burma. The first and secondary curriculum lasted 12 years. Notably, that is longer than Myanmar’s system, which lasts 10 years. Pedagogical methods emphasizing important considering had been launched in a post-secondary coaching system which emphasizes secular instructor coaching, and the event of church leaders. The refugee camp colleges had a easy benefit within the improvement of Karen training as a result of they weren’t topic to assaults by the Myanmar navy, as had been the colleges in Myanmar itself. 

Refugee faculty curriculum 

Since 2008, the refugee camps’ training system has been standardized with new curricula designed and supported by Karen training stakeholders and worldwide nongovernmental organizations. The KRC Schooling Entity curriculum adopted student-centered pedagogy to interchange the rote studying strategies historically utilized in Burma. Karen is the medium of the colleges, and English is taught as a topic starting on the main faculty stage. According to mom tongue-based training ideas, the Burmese language is taught as a topic however not as a educating medium. The Thai language can be sometimes taught in some colleges as an elective. The Karen leaders within the camps encourage Burmese language, however not surprisingly, most younger refugee college students resist studying the Burmese language, which is considered as a instrument of domination.

In 2015 KED revealed an training coverage with the next 4 primary ideas. Notably, it leaves out references to nationwide boundaries, however displays values discovered in lots of nationwide and statewide curricula all over the world.

*Each Karen shall study his personal literature and language.

*Each Karen shall be acquainted with Karen historical past.

*The Karen tradition, customs and traditions shall be promoted.

*Our personal Karen tradition, customs and traditions shall be made to be revered by the opposite ethnic nationalities, and the cultures, customs and traditions of the opposite ethnic nationalities shall mutually be acknowledged and revered.

In any respect ranges, Karen historical past, literature, poetry and world historical past are taught.

Delicate topic

Karen historical past is probably probably the most delicate topic taught from the Burmese perspective. Karen historical past describes how the Bamar tradition and its kings dominated and enslaved the Karen earlier than the arrival of the British. The British arrival within the Nineteenth century is described within the Karen historical past books as a liberation from Burmese domination, which permitted the re-emergence of indigenous Karen tradition.

In distinction, Burmese historical past, first created by Ne Win’s Schooling Ministry, teaches that the Karen are rebels and a risk to nationwide unity, significantly within the context of the extremely centralized authorities constructions insisted upon after 1962. Burmese historical past textbooks consult with Britain as an exterior enemy that sought to destroy the nation and describes the British as imperialists, collaborators and as “stooges.” Karen historical past textbooks train concerning the optimistic legacy of the British parliamentary system, and the American training system on which the missionaries first primarily based the Karen training system.

Along with Karen being the medium of instruction in main colleges there are different contrasts. Just a few examples from the Karen curriculum.

1. Karen poetry (Hta)—Karen poetry is studied from Grade 6–8 within the Karen topic. The writing model of the Karen essay is studied, drawing from Karen Hta literary types. Starting in Grade 8, the styles of Karen Hta and its interpretation are reviewed. In Grade 9 and 10 of the Karen topic, completely different classifications of Karen Hta and its historical past are studied.
2. Aung San—Normal Aung San just isn’t particularly talked about within the Karen historical past curriculum and is talked about solely in a quick historical past of the Burmese revolutionary motion. The battle between the Burmese Independence Military (BIA) commanded by Normal Aung San and the Karen throughout World Conflict II is described in Grade 7 Historical past, together with the massacres of Karen undertaken by mixed Japanese and BIA forces.
3. Noticed Ba U Gyi—Noticed Ba U Gyi is studied in Karen faculty in Grade 6 and Grade 10 because the nationwide hero and father of the Karen nation. In Grade 6, Noticed Ba U Gyi’s biography can be studied in each Burmese and Karen topics. Noticed Ba U Gyi’s personal writing is studied in Grade 10 and 11 in Karen Historical past. Since Noticed Ba U Gyi’s writing was initially in English, the Grade 10 and 11 supplies about him are taught in English.
4. Spiritual variety—That is studied in grades 6, 7, 9 and 10 of Social Research. In grades 6, 7 and 9, it’s studied within the Karen language, and English in Grade 10 is in English. The significance of faith and the spiritual variety of Burma, together with Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism are studied.

A shared consciousness has emerged amongst Karen crossing worldwide boundaries “rhizomatically,” as refugees grew up within the camps and within the diaspora, together with many who haven’t any private recollections of Myanmar. Mockingly, refugee kids born within the non permanent camps take into account the Karen diaspora and Kawthoolei their nation, even when such a spot exists on no worldwide maps.  On this context, the Karen language thrives. The favored Karen-language movie and music manufacturing scene serves Karen youth and has a considerable viewers on YouTube and different social media.

The persistence of Karen training within the highlands after all creates a conundrum for any future Myanmar authorities in search of peace. The divergence of the Karen, Burmese and Thai curricula way back created what social scientists name a “nationwide consciousness” among the many Karen of the Thai-Myanmar border area. This consciousness is about their identification as a folks, and presumes a stage of cultural and political autonomy. Talks about federalism in previous a long time assumed this autonomy, however after all negotiations had been unsuccessful. So there stay tensions between the 130,000-plus kids being educated in Karen-medium colleges, their households, and the demand of Myanmar’s Bamar-dominated navy authorities for one disciplined nation underneath navy management.

Desk 1—Karen Medium Faculties in Burma and Thailand, 2022

(Supply: KECD 2022; KRC-EE 2022)

This text is customized from “Education, Identification, and Nationhood: Karen Mom Tongue Primarily based Schooling within the Thai–Burmese Border Area,” by Hayso Thako and Tony Waters.  Social Sciences. 2023, 12(3), 163; 

Hayso Thako has greater than 20 years of expertise working in Karen training fields and capability constructing on the Thai-Myanmar border. Since 2015, he has been a pacesetter in refugee training. He’s the top of the Bureau of Increased Schooling on the Karen Schooling and Tradition Division (KECD), and president of the Institute of Increased Schooling for KECD and KRC-EE.

Tony Waters is a professor of sociology, presently at Leuphana College, Germany. Beforehand he taught at Payap College in Chiang Mai, Thailand, and California State College in Chico, the US.  He’s an occasional contributor to The Irrawaddy. His e mail is [email protected].