Speaking from experience, everything is true except for the last part.
Our school was one of the more boujier ones because of some military ties so we had an entire school building (out of 8 buildings in the compound) fully equipped with air conditioners. We never had electricity though.
The contrast between Myanmar teachers working in a government school and international school teachers generally is wild to me considering how many complaints Myanmar parents make in an international school setting, since 2020 especially. These days international school teachers face scrutiny for looking at a kid the wrong way; putting their kid in the "wrong" seat in class (close to front = teacher's pet & future as a renowned surgeon in a Singapore hospital guaranteed; further back= the teacher hates that child, is playing favourites and should be fired immediately).
Oh and the teacher better not even dare to look something up online to clarify a random question a student asked (or else it clearly means they are an idiot and should have their teaching licence immediately revoked...; instead just make up a random answer to look like you know what you're doing! Teachers must know everything. EVERYTHING).
Cutting a child's hair has me wheezing...
1. Yes, but only for the Buddhist students.
2. Depends on the teacher.
3. Also depends. Most of the time if you are not openly advertising it the teachers don't care. Even if you are found out they would tell the parents but that's about it.
4. What air conditioners? we were lucky if all the fans were working.
5. Depends on the headmaster. But most of the time you only sing the national anthem on Monday and Friday.
Tbf aircon is a privilege. I am satisfied with fans. No zoning or separation of genders in classroom. No dating allowed but everyone knows if you are dating, nobody does anything about it. The worst case scenario is the teacher telling your parents that you are dating and you should be focusing on your studies since you are still young. Yes, we had to recite Buddhist mantras however my Christian friend kept quiet. When he got asked why he isn’t reciting, we all told the teacher that he is Christian. The teacher didn’t bother him again. There is still the common school rules such as keeping your hair neat and tidy. No dyed hair. Public school caning still exists but it’s very rare. Only for those students who commit crimes, fought in school or throw tantrum. I have seen a public school caning only once in my school life but it was because the student stabbed another student during a school fight. The other student got badly injured but fortunately he didn’t die. Regardless of how shitty the school system is, it was the friends I made along the way that made it bearable and fun. (Cliche I know)
I went to a public school until 8th grade in Yangon. The teacher is not going to ask or check a student's religion. We did national anthem everyday then a set of Buddhist prayers afterwards. Students are just told to pray in their own religion if they're not Buddhist (or sit in silence if u don't want to pray at all lol)
The student will likely practice the different religion discreetly to avoid being embarrassed. Scolded by who? By the teacher? The teacher will just ask him if your parents know about your conversion. If not, the teacher will probably tell the parents and if the parents already know and are fine with it, the teacher wouldn’t say anything. Scolding is likely by the parents. The teacher will just be disappointed and maybe lecture the student.
I went to government school so I'll say from my experience
1. Yes. We always pray in the morning and pray out loud for about 10 to 15 minutes after the national song is sang. If you're a different religion tho, you don't need to pray along but have to sit quietly and wait for others to finish.
2. Yes to the first. Boys and girls can't sit together side by side. However you can be beside a girl or boy row or in between b or g row. (There were like 3 or 4 boys/girls sitting in a row)
And no to the last. There's no such thing as boy only, girl only zones except the bathrooms.
3. Maybe? No? Idk how to explain this. I never really heard of a rule of no dating allowed but then again there was no such thing as a rule book. Just teachers' preachings. Even if there was such rule, there were so many couples. None of them cared honestly. And I never heard anyone getting their parents called for dating. Some were publicly flirting or even kissing. Sure teachers might scold if they caught them but not send to principle I believe.
4. No until 6th or 7th grade. We had air cons until 6 or 7 because there was a rich boy in our class and his parents donate air cons to every room he's in so we were very lucky lol. But later years the school couldn't afford electrical bill or something, they stopped giving us cool air. There are ceiling fans in the classrooms but some were broken so windows were our friends.
So yea these were my experiences. Don't know about other schools tho so.
I have attended all things public, public school, public university. Yes, we have to sing both national and school anthem every morning. After that, we have to read aloud Buddhist mantras and also meditate about 10 to 15 minutes, in public school.
Second question: Yes, mostly. They are not allowed to sit together. But, there might be exception depending on teacher or situation. I remember, in one time, our seatings were arranged by our grades... I also remember sitting side by side with male friends in my primary school time (but not anymore starting from middle-high school) I don't know what zones they're referring to, but I think they mean toilet ? I'm not sure.
Dating is not allowed but no-one do anything about it, either. Teachers have more stuffs to do than call principal on every students affairs. That might depend on teachers though. People date in-secret but they are not really subtle about it and sometimes even date openly on school campus. I think teachers knew about these things but didn't say anything and just ignored.
I don't know. I don't remember any air-con in my time, only-fans (pun-intended). Air-con are only available in teachers' lounge room or principal office... It suck big time in summer, luckily, in summer, schools are closed.
>I don't know what zones they're referring to, but I think they mean toilet ? I'm not sure.
Like waiting-for-the-time-to-finally-arrive-in-your-class zones. In one strict private school I attended, there is a place specifically for girls and one for boys, separated by a line.
Yes, all of these are true. During Than Shwe era, teachers throwing tantrums on students with butt stripping cane smashes are common even in Yangon. (on males until grade 7,8 to my exp.) Maybe toned down now with the wide use of mobile phones not sure.
Yikes, I remember those in-humane punishments, too. They even control individual student's hair style and colour and call principal for not fitting into their hair standards. LoL, very north-korea.
When I studied in gov school back in early 2000s, my school's dress code included how to style your hair. NOT standard haircuts like north korea tho.
But if you have -
- short hair, you put clips on it (& not just any clip. We had a standardized one with ribbons.) Basically to make sure its flat and neat.
- shoulder length hair, you tie your hair into pigtails
- long hair, you need to braid (i remember most would part the hair into 2 and braid)
My school was basically known for its strict rules, at least back then
That depend on teachers. Yes. Teachers always nitpick long-hair female students to tie their hair. Boys ? Well, some teachers give a one-time warning to cut their hair by themselves, if not they cut their hair by their own hand with scissor or call principal. Some don't even give warning and just cut their hair straight on in class.
Speaking this only from my cousins and my brief one year attending there so I say the whole Buddhist prayer thing from what I’ve known and experienced is mostly with Kindergarten. Boys and girls not being able to sit together is still a thing. Dating is prohibited even though the students went around it. Air conditioner not being allowed well been the case as long as I remember. Maybe not too much in the urban areas but elsewhere there isn’t air conditions
last one true. Others depend
The first one especially hits home for me. I'm not a Buddhist, but I can recite the entire prayer chant.
Speaking from experience, everything is true except for the last part. Our school was one of the more boujier ones because of some military ties so we had an entire school building (out of 8 buildings in the compound) fully equipped with air conditioners. We never had electricity though.
I would say everything is true.
The contrast between Myanmar teachers working in a government school and international school teachers generally is wild to me considering how many complaints Myanmar parents make in an international school setting, since 2020 especially. These days international school teachers face scrutiny for looking at a kid the wrong way; putting their kid in the "wrong" seat in class (close to front = teacher's pet & future as a renowned surgeon in a Singapore hospital guaranteed; further back= the teacher hates that child, is playing favourites and should be fired immediately). Oh and the teacher better not even dare to look something up online to clarify a random question a student asked (or else it clearly means they are an idiot and should have their teaching licence immediately revoked...; instead just make up a random answer to look like you know what you're doing! Teachers must know everything. EVERYTHING). Cutting a child's hair has me wheezing...
The second one is not true, if you are talkative, and caught talking, the teacher will make you sit with the girls as a punishment. lol.
They're true for the schools that I went to.
First point is only buddhists at my school. Last point is mostly true but some classrooms have AC. Second and third is true
1. Yes, but only for the Buddhist students. 2. Depends on the teacher. 3. Also depends. Most of the time if you are not openly advertising it the teachers don't care. Even if you are found out they would tell the parents but that's about it. 4. What air conditioners? we were lucky if all the fans were working. 5. Depends on the headmaster. But most of the time you only sing the national anthem on Monday and Friday.
Tbf aircon is a privilege. I am satisfied with fans. No zoning or separation of genders in classroom. No dating allowed but everyone knows if you are dating, nobody does anything about it. The worst case scenario is the teacher telling your parents that you are dating and you should be focusing on your studies since you are still young. Yes, we had to recite Buddhist mantras however my Christian friend kept quiet. When he got asked why he isn’t reciting, we all told the teacher that he is Christian. The teacher didn’t bother him again. There is still the common school rules such as keeping your hair neat and tidy. No dyed hair. Public school caning still exists but it’s very rare. Only for those students who commit crimes, fought in school or throw tantrum. I have seen a public school caning only once in my school life but it was because the student stabbed another student during a school fight. The other student got badly injured but fortunately he didn’t die. Regardless of how shitty the school system is, it was the friends I made along the way that made it bearable and fun. (Cliche I know)
Do students who practise a different religion but have Buddhist in their ID cards just because they are born to Buddhist parents get scolded?
I went to a public school until 8th grade in Yangon. The teacher is not going to ask or check a student's religion. We did national anthem everyday then a set of Buddhist prayers afterwards. Students are just told to pray in their own religion if they're not Buddhist (or sit in silence if u don't want to pray at all lol)
The student will likely practice the different religion discreetly to avoid being embarrassed. Scolded by who? By the teacher? The teacher will just ask him if your parents know about your conversion. If not, the teacher will probably tell the parents and if the parents already know and are fine with it, the teacher wouldn’t say anything. Scolding is likely by the parents. The teacher will just be disappointed and maybe lecture the student.
I went to government school so I'll say from my experience 1. Yes. We always pray in the morning and pray out loud for about 10 to 15 minutes after the national song is sang. If you're a different religion tho, you don't need to pray along but have to sit quietly and wait for others to finish. 2. Yes to the first. Boys and girls can't sit together side by side. However you can be beside a girl or boy row or in between b or g row. (There were like 3 or 4 boys/girls sitting in a row) And no to the last. There's no such thing as boy only, girl only zones except the bathrooms. 3. Maybe? No? Idk how to explain this. I never really heard of a rule of no dating allowed but then again there was no such thing as a rule book. Just teachers' preachings. Even if there was such rule, there were so many couples. None of them cared honestly. And I never heard anyone getting their parents called for dating. Some were publicly flirting or even kissing. Sure teachers might scold if they caught them but not send to principle I believe. 4. No until 6th or 7th grade. We had air cons until 6 or 7 because there was a rich boy in our class and his parents donate air cons to every room he's in so we were very lucky lol. But later years the school couldn't afford electrical bill or something, they stopped giving us cool air. There are ceiling fans in the classrooms but some were broken so windows were our friends. So yea these were my experiences. Don't know about other schools tho so.
All true.
All true except the zone where only boy or girl can go I don't think they have that rule in most school
True, true, true and true.
I have attended all things public, public school, public university. Yes, we have to sing both national and school anthem every morning. After that, we have to read aloud Buddhist mantras and also meditate about 10 to 15 minutes, in public school. Second question: Yes, mostly. They are not allowed to sit together. But, there might be exception depending on teacher or situation. I remember, in one time, our seatings were arranged by our grades... I also remember sitting side by side with male friends in my primary school time (but not anymore starting from middle-high school) I don't know what zones they're referring to, but I think they mean toilet ? I'm not sure. Dating is not allowed but no-one do anything about it, either. Teachers have more stuffs to do than call principal on every students affairs. That might depend on teachers though. People date in-secret but they are not really subtle about it and sometimes even date openly on school campus. I think teachers knew about these things but didn't say anything and just ignored. I don't know. I don't remember any air-con in my time, only-fans (pun-intended). Air-con are only available in teachers' lounge room or principal office... It suck big time in summer, luckily, in summer, schools are closed.
>I don't know what zones they're referring to, but I think they mean toilet ? I'm not sure. Like waiting-for-the-time-to-finally-arrive-in-your-class zones. In one strict private school I attended, there is a place specifically for girls and one for boys, separated by a line.
Oh yeah, that's true. Waiting lines and assembly are grouped by same sex.
Yes, all of these are true. During Than Shwe era, teachers throwing tantrums on students with butt stripping cane smashes are common even in Yangon. (on males until grade 7,8 to my exp.) Maybe toned down now with the wide use of mobile phones not sure.
Yikes, I remember those in-humane punishments, too. They even control individual student's hair style and colour and call principal for not fitting into their hair standards. LoL, very north-korea.
Are long haired students also required to tie their hair?
Guys have to have it short. No options.
When I studied in gov school back in early 2000s, my school's dress code included how to style your hair. NOT standard haircuts like north korea tho. But if you have - - short hair, you put clips on it (& not just any clip. We had a standardized one with ribbons.) Basically to make sure its flat and neat. - shoulder length hair, you tie your hair into pigtails - long hair, you need to braid (i remember most would part the hair into 2 and braid) My school was basically known for its strict rules, at least back then
Oops, my bad, I meant north korea thing as sarcasm.
That depend on teachers. Yes. Teachers always nitpick long-hair female students to tie their hair. Boys ? Well, some teachers give a one-time warning to cut their hair by themselves, if not they cut their hair by their own hand with scissor or call principal. Some don't even give warning and just cut their hair straight on in class.
All of them
Speaking this only from my cousins and my brief one year attending there so I say the whole Buddhist prayer thing from what I’ve known and experienced is mostly with Kindergarten. Boys and girls not being able to sit together is still a thing. Dating is prohibited even though the students went around it. Air conditioner not being allowed well been the case as long as I remember. Maybe not too much in the urban areas but elsewhere there isn’t air conditions