1. education
2. school

Zin Nya Kan Baw Za - Computer Class
Facts
B roadening
A ccess to
S ustainable
E ducation
Description
Name
Zin Nya Kan Baw Za PostPrimary Monastic School
Type of facility
Computer class room
Number of students
511 (245 boys, 266 girls)
Number of teachers
24 (11 male, 13 female)
Use of funds
30 computers, 1 printer,
air-conditioning, initial
teacher training
Budget
USD 27,143
Set-up period
May to August 2015
Project manager
Saw Htoo Wah (Mr.)
Location
Tharsi Quarter, Sagaing
city, Sagaing Division,
Myanmar
Map
Tharsi Quarter is a neighbourhood by the Ayeyarwady River in the city of Sagaing, the capital of the same
named division in the upper-central part of Myanmar. Sagaing is located 20 km to the southwest of
Mandalay. The school was established in 2008 as a monastic education school and in 2013 we supported
them with the construction of one school building with six classrooms. Currently, there are 24 teachers
educating 511 students from grade 1 to grade 11. The school is run by Phaung Daw Oo Monastic Education
(PDO), a Buddhist monastic community-based organisation, which has their headquarters in Mandalay,
Myanmar. PDO is a long-standing partner of us and we have successfully implemented a number of projects
together. PDO is the largest organisation operating monastic schools and is officially recognised by the
government of Myanmar. For teacher salaries and running costs, the school has support from multiple local
and international companies. Additional funds are contributed by the community school committee and the
school principal is also running a brick business, which generates some income for the school. In Zin Nya Kan
Baw Za Post-Primary Monastic School, they use the government curriculum and provide some additional
courses such as language classes, computer courses (theory by books), citizenship training and debate
training. The school would like to implement a practical computer class for students from grades 5 to 11.
Developing computer skills without the means to practise hampers the students’ education and prospects,
especially with computer skills being vital for employment in major cities in Myanmar.
Implementation
We therefore support the project by improving the insulation of one room, installing an air-conditioning unit
and setting up thirty computers and a printer. The funding will also include the one-year course fees for four
teachers to become computer trainers, as well as maintenance and running costs for the first year. It is crucial
that students in urban areas are able to acquire computer experience, as basic knowledge is indispensable
in today’s labour market. Furthermore, it will give the school the ability to manage their data electronically
and students will benefit from an improved learning environment. Offering computer classes is a new activity
for the monks and the teachers, so maintaining the infrastructure might be a bit of a challenge in the
beginning. We still consider this project as low risk, given the fact we can rely on previous experiences from
our Child’s Dream Thailand and Laos colleagues and eventually the teachers in the school would be trained
for general maintenance of the computers. Another positive note is that the school is very well respected in
the community and regularly organises income generating activities. We will pay Phaung Daw Oo Monastic
Education in two instalments; 70% of the budget in the beginning (May) to cover the material purchase and
cost for the technical support, 30% at the end of the installations (expected in August), once we have received
a narrative report and a photo report of the project and inspected the installation on the ground. Once the
programme is established, the school will also offer computer classes for people from the community to
cover parts of the running costs.
Photos
Budget
Item
Construction material & computers
Salaries
In %
71%
5,158
19%
Labour cost
395
1%
Technical support
247
1%
Monitoring & implementation cost
253
1%
1,900
7%
27,143
100%
Administration overhead contribution
Total Budget
Zin Nya Kan Baw Za monastic school
Project manager
Saw Htoo Wah
Nickname: Tha Wah
Tha Wah has been working for
Child’s Dream since March 2010
and is an Assistant Field
Coordinator for Myanmar
thawah@childsdream.org
The school library is one of the most
used rooms in the school
USD
19,190
Monk students helping with some
easy construction work
Mobile: +95 (0) 925 062 3937