The somewhat relaxed lockdown in Myanmar still applies. Nothing has changed in the travel warnings of the Foreign Office: Foreign visitors (especially tourists) are still not allowed to travel to Myanmar. This of course also makes it impossible to send specialists in cooperation with the Senior Expert Service (SES). When this will be possible again, we do not know. We are waiting for the green light from the SES.
The so-called academic year will start late this year. Normally, school starts on the first of June each year. This year, the schools will not resume operations until the beginning of August, with severe restrictions. Preparations have begun in the PDO. Win Aung, our local manager, has sent us the following photo report:
PDO is still blocked. The new students of the academic year will be accepted in three steps in both Mingun and Mandalay.
(1) Opening of the High School: July 18, 2020
(2) Opening of the secondary school: 4-Aug 2020
(3) Opening of the primary school: 11-Aug-2020
The PDO will only accept high school students next month, the remaining students will have to learn from home in online lessons. The PDO teaching department is on-air daily via a zoom application. There is no plan for Mingun yet.
We are preparing the opening of the school for next month. But we have to be aware of COVID 19, so we have made some prevention guidelines and preparations. We have installed 20 washbasins for washing hands at different places in the buildings of PDO, one basin costs 25 Euro.
The team for health education and training for pupils has already been established and they will discuss which rules to follow, both in school and after school.
Teachers also live according to the guidelines of COVID 19, and local NGOs are involved in the school activities, and in emergencies the regional medical township team will also help the school.
Today we will be taking in old students from the “hostel” (high school students), but they will have to live in quarantine in the PDO for two weeks so that they can attend school.
2020-07-02 Wing Aung / Karl Bruch; all photo rights “Förderverein Myanmar e.V.
Instruction by the school committee for health education and training in the Mudita Hall and in exemplary seating arrangements