Monastic schools, like this one in town of Haka, in Chin state, are still common across Myanmar.

U KAUNG, the late Commissioner of Education and an expert in Myanmar education, once said the monastic education system created morality and enshrined Myanmar culture in students.

Traditionally, monastic students were from a variety of backgrounds; monasteries were the only places rich and poor, royals and commoners attended together. They learned the “three Rs” of reading, writing and arithmetic as well as ethics and the Buddhist way of life.

Monks have been both the spiritual teachers of the people and responsible for the basic literacy of laypersons – although they are not technically supposed to take on this second role.

The monastic education tradition emerged from Theravada Buddhism in Myanmar in the 11th century and has been an integral part of Myanmar culture since. Monasteries played such a significant role in Myanmar education that British people who visited Myanmar in the 19th century observed Myanmar’s literacy rate was higher than Britain’s at that time.

Following Myanmar’s annexing by the British in 1885, missionary schools overtook monasteries as the leading educational institutions in the major cities. In small towns and villages, however, monasteries often remained the only centre of learning.

Despite their low profile under the British rule, monastic schools paved the way for the emergence of the national schools – established by the patriots who boycotted the University Act that was passed by the British in 1920.

In 1962, however, monastic education was abolished by Myanmar’s socialist government.

Monastic education returned in 1993 when the government began recognising monastic schools that followed the guidelines of the Ministry of Education.

But modern monastic schools have some differences from those in the past. They use the same system of grades, curricula and examinations as state schools. Teachers, who are young volunteers or retired civil servants from the education sector, are appointed on a salary basis.

Monastic schools today especially target orphans or children from destitute families, who can ill-afford to pursue formal education. Some well-funded monastic schools also provide students with free food and accommodation while many others are just normal day schools.

Venerable Kusala, the abbot of Natmauk Monastic School in Thaketa township, said his school had improved in both teaching and students’ learning since it was founded in 1992 but has faced funding problems.

He said his school mainly relied on donations from laypersons. Most of the time they had to spend money set aside for the monastery and monks because the funding for the school was not sufficient.

Venerable Kusala said their school could only open classes from kindergarten to the eighth grade but wished to open classes for the ninth grade and matriculation when they could provide the facilities.

“We don’t have enough buildings for classrooms,” said Venerable Kusala, who is also secretary of the supervisory committee for monastic schools in Yangon Division. “But in this coming academic year we’ll try to open a preschool inside the compound.”

A total of 486 students are enrolled at his monastery – 250 of them stay there as boarding residents.

He said they provide free tuition, meal and board for all students. They spend an average of K1000 a day to provide the three meals for each student. Each teacher is paid K23,000 monthly.

“We have just a little fund,” he said. “We save as much as we can and spend economically. Sometimes we are forced spend money set aside for general funding.”

However, he said his school was becoming more successful and gaining popularity among the needy children in Yangon as well as those from rural areas.

Venerable Kusala said monastic education, which brings together children from different racial and religious backgrounds, was an opportunity to develop cohesion that would in turn develop national integration.

“Monastic schools are also places that help the country produce valuable citizens because the students have to learn basic ethical values and morality,” he said.