ESPITE the heat and the buzz from a construction site outside, teacher and students are laughing, engrossed in a collective attempt to draw a qat on the flip chart.
Asked to make it funny, participants have added, a gaungbaung or traditional Burmese cap. spectacles, a pipe, and necktie, a T-shirt with the words "1 love mice" and some droppings. Short on Inspiration, the first volunteer added whiskers.
That's not funny. Is it?" the teacher had queried, with a trace of irritation.
A primary class in session? No. It's Kamala Peiris, a 63-year-old educator from Shri Lanka, presiding over an education workshop for researchers, policy-makers and teacher-training college lecturers here in Yangon. Participants are learning to implement the government's Continuous Assessment and Progression System (CAPS), a UN Children s Fund (UNICEF) — assisted project, to bring innovations to the country's primary schools.
The project's name is somewhat misleading, as the opening exercise of the weck-long workshop demonstrated. Organisers and participants modelled a variety of caps to Illustrate that quality education must be pursued on many fronts, and that teachers must take on many roles.
It is not enough to do away with rigid, year-end examinations. which are only'the most Immediate reason for Myanmar's high dropout and repetition rates. Changes in assessment must be accompanied by changes in curriculum, pedagogy and classroom management. textbooks and learning aids, and supervision.
It is felt that the broad alms of education must be re-examined. The present rote learning method cannot foster ere atlvtty or critical thinking, both prerequisites for independent lifelong learning.
These imperatives account for the drawing of the cat An exercise In creativity, it allowed participants to learn from their peers in a joyful, "hands-on" fashion rather than merely listening to Ms Peiris given an abstract definition. And like the inspirational proverbs, quotations and cartoons about children and education displayed in the room, the flip chart demonstrated the value of learning aids tn stimulating interest and reinforcing lessons.
The scope, of the workshop — and of change required in Myanmar's education system — proved overwhelming at tines. But Ms Peiris rallied participants In a variety of ways. Most Importantly, perhaps, she offered herself and her counlry as role models.
Also a developing country. Shri Lanka began revitalising its primary schools in 1971. Throughout the workshop, Ms Peiris drew on her expert ences as a director tn the Shri l^nkan Ministry of Education to prepare participants for the kind of constraints they are likely to encounter
She also conducted the workshop tn a culturally sens! tive manner. A Buddhist from a predominantly Buddhist country, Ms Peiris reminded par ticipants that masterful teaching is very much a part of the Buddhist heritage in Myanmar as well. She pointed out that, Buddha taught followers through activities as well as sermons.
Finally. she refused to stand on ceremony in her interartions with participants. Convinced that hierarchy is the enemy of student-centred teaching, for example, she ate lunch alongside of them daily. "We must become a band of common workers, committed to a common, noble goal," she said.
Though much follbw-up will be required, the workshop apparently went a long way towards creating this commitment. In a farewell speech, one of the participants noted that: they regularly resumed discussions on -workshops issues far into the night at their hostel, and were eager to contribute to the success of CAI’S.
An official of Myanmar's Department of Basic Education promised Ms Peiris that he would do whatever he could "to accelerate the momentum gained during the workshop."
For example, though it is responsible for basic education in general, his department is now considering concentrating -the efforts of its curriculum unit at the primary level or. alternatively. creating a new division of primary education.
Either course of action will maximise or Increase resources available to primary education in a country where no more than 1 1 per cent of the population goes on to secondary school.
During its pilot phase, the Continuous Assessment and Progression System (CAPS) project will cover 2.200 primary schools, 7,650 teachers, and 4,44.000 children In 14 townships. Part of the budget for the programme from 1991-1995 .amounts to US$ 3.6 million from UNICEF.
The total cost of the pilot phase and for unlvcrsallsing the project will be estimated later as part of the preparation of Myanmar s National Programme of Action and an Education for All seminar