Going to School in Myanmar

Going to a state school in Myanmar is the same no matter which state, if it's a city school or in a rural village. This is according to David's cleaning lady, shirt ironer, bill payer and translator for anything he needs help with in the local language. 

There are two shifts a day at each school. Grades 8 - 11 starts at 7am and finishes at 11.30am.

Then at 12.00 the second shift of Kindergarten to Grade 7 and they finish at 4.30pm. I can't imagine teaching in a classroom which would be shared by another teacher with an older or younger class during the other half of the day. 

Dagon School (named after the district the apartment is in) is just around around the corner. 

We think we have traffic problems at drop off and pick up times? It is nothing compared to this place where the traffic is clogged up at these times with cars, pick up trucks, taxis, vans, pedestrians, food vendors, other vendors selling toys and other items children would like. The change over time between the two shifts is the worst.  The streets in the area change from 2-way to 1-way, in which direction? 

Dagon School is on a corner. This is the main road on one side, taken from the pedestrian overpass. The other street with the pedestrian gate is more chaotic and it was too congested to get a shot of everything happening. Other side roads are just as blocked where parents park and leave their cars, or sit and wait. 

All state schools have a green and white uniform. The young girls often wear green pants with a tunic over the top and the young boys wear green pants, white shirt and green tie. 

The older children often wear the traditional long wrap around skirt, called a longyi. 

The teachers also wear the green white uniform of the green longyi and white top or shirt. 

Uniforms for sale

Longyi, but not quite regulation tops.

The teacher in uniform on the right. 

On the way to school.

Buying snacks after school. 

Shopping for snacks and toys on the way home. All these vendors set up at the beginning and end of the school day. 

Icecream Man

Fried Snacks

One long block of vendors

Peanuts or Corn?

Cheap Toys

Road side restaurant for the children.

There's security on the gates for the entire school day. The parents are allowed in to pick up the children where they meet in an undercover area the size of 2 netball courts. 

Pick up time isn't too different to ours in that it's a chance for parents to meet and chat. Some bring snacks for themselves and the children so they can stay longer while the children play in the playground. 

The covered pick up area.