The Irrawaddy Magazine |
| For the Kids on Burma’s Streets, a Chance for Education Posted: 29 Dec 2013 09:28 PM PST  A child sells brooms in Rangoon. (Photo: Aung Thet Wine / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON – Educating street kids is not an easy task. The kids are often more interested in making their own money than sitting in a classroom, according to one educator who is working to change that. Decades of poverty in Burma, and the ignorance of many parents about their responsibilities to their children, mean that many youngsters nationwide stay away from formal schooling. "The poverty brings parents down to a situation where they put less emphasis on their children's education," said Aye Aye Thin, a former tutor at the Yangon Education University. Aye Aye Thin is now providing non-formal education (NFE) classes for street kids and heads a Rangoon-based educational program known as Scholarships for Street Kids, or SSK, which helps with literacy and vocational training. Initiated under a different name in 2007, SSK has been supporting education for impoverished children or child laborers on the street. But SSK's regular NFE classes began only in 2011 for children who have never been enrolled in school, or who have dropped out to work. Classes run for three hours a day, five days a week. Some students in the classes are garbage collectors when they are not studying. Aye Aye Thin said that before enrolling them in classes, she and her teachers speak to children working on the street to assess their needs. "They [street kids] are different from the kids in poor families, as the street kids have to struggle for their survival," she said. "The work they do is too hard at their age." The educator said the organization does not work only on literacy development, but they also "help street kids with their behavior changes as they are mentally affected." In towns across Burma, children work as manual laborers, vendors, tea-shop waiters, garbage collectors or domestic workers. When asked why they are working, the skinny boys or girls generally give the same answer: they work to support their families back home. Their parents may be unemployed, or the family may have split up, leaving them indigent. Many of these children are among the 1 million students nationwide who have dropped out of public school after primary level—aged 6-10—according to official figures from 2012. Burma was recently ranked second in the World Giving Index—the Burmese receiving praise for their willingness to volunteer, to help strangers and to give donations—but many are still ignorant of the issue of child labor. For instance, ordinary customers at teashops or restaurants would not hesitate to receive services from the young or teenage waiters. Much of the giving in Burma goes to religious institutions, and monastic education often receives help from philanthropists. But SSK is one of the only groups led by education experts and focusing on street kids. Thirteen classes have been running, in North Okkalapa, Mingaladon, Intai, Hleku, and Pegu, since June, with nine teachers in all. But the teacher said the number of the kids attending classes has decreased since then from 140 kids aged 9-14 to 110 children. Aye Aye Thin said many of the children were under pressure to make money for their families, who are uneducated and do not see the need to educate their offspring. "A student told me that he must earn at least 5,000 kyat a day for his five family members' survival," Aye Aye Thin said. Trash collectors, whose ages normally are 9-10, make between 2,000 kyat and 5,000 kyat per day, about US$2-$4. "We can't pay them such amounts, as well as give them knowledge," she said. "We also meet with the parents regularly, and talk to them to help their children as many parents do not pay much attention to the children's literacy." SSK has expanded its activities to practical vocational training, as well as parental education. Tailoring courses, for example, are provided for girls in their early teens. Aside from parental neglect, the kids struggle to concentrate on literacy, and educators also face a lack of collaboration from authorities. Despite the country moving forward to the democratic transition, "people's mindsets have not changed; some local authorities dare not to work together with us," said Aye Aye Thin. The post For the Kids on Burma's Streets, a Chance for Education appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine. |
| Posted: 29 Dec 2013 09:24 PM PST  A man talks on his mobile phone in Yangon. (Photo: Reuters) YANGON — Myanmar's drought of SIM cards is nearly over. The tiny plastic chips have in recent years been limited in supply. Distribution has been only through lotteries, driving a lucrative black market where they are peddled for hundreds of dollars each. Sometime in the middle of the 2014 rainy season, however, the country's major cities, at least, can expect a flood of affordable SIM cards. Making mobile services available across the country is a big task, but there has been no shortage of international firms keen to get involved in setting up decent telecommunications, a vital prerequisite to Myanmar's development in other sectors. "This is the biggest telecoms opportunity in the world today," Ross Cormack, CEO of Ooredoo Myanmar, told The Irrawaddy in November. The Qatari firm, alongside Norway's Telenor, was selected in July from dozens of firms that entered a competitive tender to be the first two private mobile phone operators licensed in Myanmar. With the Myanmar Telecommunications Law enacted on Oct. 8, and licenses expected to be finalized before the end of 2013, both companies have promised to begin selling unlimited numbers of SIM cards, complete with 3G technology, for 1,500 kyat, or about US $1.50, in the middle of next year. "We're bringing the latest technology to this beautiful country to allow Myanmar to leapfrog back into its position as the jewel of Asia," said Mr. Cormack. There were many big firms among the losers in the tender, but the government is reportedly planning to issue more licenses before long. Additionally, runners up Orange of France, along with SingTel of Singapore and Britain's Vodafone, are in talks with Myanmar Post and Telecommunications (MPT) about helping the existing provider to compete with the newcomers, according to a recent report in the Financial Times. Officials have said there are plans to fully separate the state-owned MPT, and Yatanarpon Teleport, from the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology. The Telecoms Law now in force will govern the sector, but the all-important regulations—the detailed rules of the game—are yet to be finalized. A public consultation launched in early November by the government seeks feedback on a draft set of regulations, which it says are in line with international best practice. The regulations up for discussion include detailed guidelines about the mobile spectrum, how fair competition will be enforced, and how companies will be licensed. "The overarching principles of the Licensing Rules are to establish a multi-service licensing framework that provides transparency to all licensees and end users, promotes market entry, and creates a level playing field in the telecommunications sector," the consultation document states. John Lichtefeld, a foreign legal consultant with Singapore-based law firm Kelvin Chia's Yangon office, said while the law makes mention of competition, most of the detail of how a fair market will be enforced is in the regulations. "While it's great that the language [on competition] is in the law, we're going to have to wait to see how the rules and regulations expand on these prohibitions against anti-competitive practices, and how those prohibitions will be enforced," he said. And that competition may be fierce in coming years. "This is seen as a big opportunity by global telcos to do business in a virtually untapped market," said Vivek Roy, a research analyst at London-based Informa Telecoms & Media, who described the market as "pristine"—at the end of 2012 only about 6 percent of the population had a mobile phone. Although the first two licenses are already awarded, he said, big companies were showing keen interest in Myanmar's telecoms market. He cited moves this year by Internet service provider Hutchison Global Communications Limited of Hong Kong, Japanese tech firms NTT Communications, NEC and Sumitomo and Malaysia's U Mobile to enter different parts of the nascent telecoms sector. "Still, we expect that generating revenues is going to be tough for license winners, Ooredoo and Telenor, since Myanmar has a sorry state of existing telecom infrastructure, including grid electricity coverage, poor road connectivity, low GDP per capita and high handset costs," said Mr. Roy. The telecom sector's current state is an acute reminder, especially to potential foreign investors, of just how far behind Myanmar has fallen after years of military misrule. Hence, Telenor and Ooredoo are primarily charged with expanding access to telecoms rapidly. In the meantime, to avoid the embarrassment of poor connectivity at December's SEA Games, a Japanese-funded quick fix has seen temporary 4G infrastructure installed at venues. The head start from being the first licensees is offset by the obligations to build a modern mobile network almost from scratch, said Mr. Roy. Ooredoo, hailing from the natural gas-rich emirate of Qatar, has said it will invest $15 billion in Myanmar over the 15 years of its license. Telenor declined to provide a figure for its investment, but Mr. Roy said it was likely to be considerably lower than Ooredoo's. Hundreds of transmission towers will be required to provide coverage, especially in rural areas, where about 70 percent of the population resides and power is scarce. "Although diesel-powered base stations would be the short-term solution, they would drive up opex [operating expenditure], so over the longer term, operators would need to look at more green, cost effective options," Mr. Roy said. Petter Furberg, CEO of Telenor Myanmar, said the government was keen to get the companies to enter into agreements to share towers, reducing the investment required from each to build the infrastructure. "One tower costs [an estimated] $100,000," he said. "Particularly here in Myanmar you have to import all the steel and a lot of concrete, which means a total waste of money at a time when the country needs to spend all its investments on building infrastructure as efficiently as possible." Ooredoo is also open to sharing towers, which could also include the existing government-linked mobile companies. Adding further complexity, every tower built across the country will involve acquiring land and gaining planning permission—which will likely cause problems in Myanmar, where land ownership is controversial after years of seizures, ill-conceived concessions to cronies and often-forced migration. "Planning law is complicated and even the government is not exactly certain how we can get all the approvals. But we do have the commitment of the government to ensure that they do happen," said Ooredoo's Mr. Cormack, whose company has set itself the ambitious goal of reaching 97 percent of Myanmar's estimated 60 million population in five years. "It is a challenge." Mr. Furberg said at least 80 percent of the country will be able to get Telenor services in five years. "It's a challenge," the Telenor Myanmar CEO said, echoing his competitor. "It's not an easy country to operate in. It's not an easy country to build infrastructure in, so we're very humbled by the task." The post End of the Drought appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine. |
| Posted: 29 Dec 2013 09:16 PM PST  The Corriander Leaf has a cosy relaxed ambiance and friendly staff. (Photo: Steve Tickner / The Irrawaddy) YANGON — As a city with a sizeable number of citizens whose ancestors hail from India, Yangon does not want for restaurants serving up the tastes of South Asia. Few, however, can deliver the goods with the same attention to authenticity as The Corriander Leaf, which offers searingly spicy food in a setting that's a welcome retreat from the steamy streets of Myanmar's largest metropolis. Located between the Summit Parkview and Yangon International Hotel on Ahlone Road, The Corriander Leaf is just 10 or 15 minutes away by taxi from the madding crowds of the downtown Sule Pagoda area, depending on the traffic. Once there, you'll find yourself entering a decidedly different culinary landscape. According to Sanjeev Gupta, the CEO of The Corriander Leaf, the three chefs in his kitchen come from different parts of India, ensuring that the regional diversity of what we call "Indian cuisine" is well covered. As a native of Hyderabad, Mr. Gupta is keen to recommend his hometown specialty, biryani—the fragrant and brightly colored rice-based dish beloved of many in Myanmar. What separates his biryani from that on offer in other restaurants in Yangon is the ingredients. Mr. Gupta says that he imports his rice and much else that goes into his food directly from India. Biryani, like other Indian dishes, is a particular thing from a particular place, and the ingredients have to be right. Another must-try is the mutton rogan josh, a Kashmiri specialty best eaten with steaming and scented naan bread. This aromatic dish of Persian origin was introduced to what is now northern India by the Mughals, and later became a staple of curry houses in the West courtesy of the British. The version served here, with its distinctive rich red hue, remains true to its roots. The litmus test of any Indian restaurant, says Mr. Gupta, is what comes out of the tandoor, the clay oven. The Corriander Leaf passes that test with flying colors, with delicately flavored slices of butterfish, spicy chunks of minced lamb, and spicier morsels of chicken and prawn. With dishes coming in at around the US $8-10 mark, The Corriander Leaf is more expensive than some of the lunchtime Indian diners downtown, but it also has Wi-Fi and air conditioning—amenities that are still surprisingly hard to find in this city. This is also the place to come if you're after some midday peace and quiet. Evenings from Thursday to Sunday are, however, a different story. On those nights it's best to book a table, as The Corriander Leaf is much in demand among Yangon's growing foreign business community. "It's a 25-75 split between Burmese and foreigners," says Mr. Gupta of the clientele frequenting his establishment. The upstairs part of the restaurant features two anterooms suitable for business or lunch meetings or private parties, while Mr. Gupta also runs a 150-seat function room, catering for seminars and workshops and other daytime gatherings. As well as Indian, The Corriander Leaf serves Indo-Chinese fusion, while the Banquet Hall serves European and other Asian food. For the thirsty—and thirsty you will be after a meal of some of the extra-spicy curries on the menu—the in-house bar has cocktails, mocktails, wines and liquors. The post A Passage to India appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine. |
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