For as long as she can remember, Esther Mang has wanted to be a teacher. It was her first dream: gFrom when I was a kid, my goals and ambitions were just to be ?a teacher ? they have never changed,h ?she says. Growing up in Myanmar, she received a good education and was always a keen student, gaining a good foundation for teaching. FULFILLING DREAMS Unfortunately, until recently it looked like Esther would never be able to fulfil her dream. Why? Because even though Esther received a good education in Yangon, it was through international schools ? and the government of Myanmar only recognises government schools. This has made Esther ineligible for study in a government university! However, there is a solution for Esther, and you could help be part of this. Read on to learn more of her story. ABOUT ESTHER Esther is 20, the eldest of Aung Mang [Chairman of a Christian graduate school] and Dawt Dimfs four children (the others, Samuel, 15, Lydia, 10, and Benjamin, 8). While Esther was born in Yangon, shefs from the Chin people, a minority of 3% of Myanmarfs 60 million people. The Chin people are predominantly Christian, in overwhelmingly Buddhist Myanmar. They suffer from discrimination, distrust, prejudice, and occasional violence against them. STARTING SCHOOL ? FORCED TO WORSHIP BUDDHIST IDOLS When Esther started school, her parents sent her to a government school. At first, she enjoyed school, but she soon experienced problems due to her faith. Even though Esther was only five, she had a strong belief in God. When the teachers started to force students to worship Buddhist gods, she became very scared. She did not want to worship another god. She refused to go ? until the teachers beat her over the knuckles and forced her. From the first day of this forced worship of Buddhist idols she began to have nightmares. One day her father noticed that something was wrong, so she told him what had been happening. He was understandably angry and moved Esther to an international school. LEARNING FROM A DIFFERENT SCRIPT While it would have been easier socially to go to a local school, the teaching at international schools is much more academically challenging and extensive than the local schools. Teaching in Myanmar focuses on rote learning through repetition. There is no discussion or interaction; itfs one-way communication from teacher to student. Unfortunately, this led to Esther not being allowed to do her university degree in Myanmar. TEACHING EXPERIENCE FROM A YOUNG AGE The irony is that Esther has already had experience teaching in Myanmar. When she finished high school, Esther joined as a volunteer pre-school teacher at the Indonesian Embassy for three months while a teacher went on maternity leave. Esther was esteemed enough by the staff to be approached to take over the class, with the teacher telling her that she trusted her with the way that she reacted to the kids and the way she taught them. Esther taught the class for three months ? when she was just 16. When she got home in the evenings, she would help her aunt teach orphans, who needed extra tuition to pass the government exams. Esther helped with the 8 boys, aged from 7 to 12 years, from 5.30pm to 8pm at night for four months. Esther really enjoyed it, feeling that whenever she was able to help them with their study it was, in her words, a ggift and privilege. I like to teach, to explain things to them until they understand.h Esther was able to win over the students by asking them about their own lives. They had a lot of prejudice towards her, as she is from the Chin tribe, and many of them were Bama, the ethnic majority in Myanmar. They learned to see through what they had been told about Chin people. ?Esther taught them that everyone is the same, and through gentle persuasion was able to break through cultural barriers. Her international school experience helped a lot, as she formed her own lesson plans that really stretched them. Her dream to be a teacher was turning out to be something she is also very good at. NO PENSIONS In Myanmar there is no pension paid to retired people. Aung Mang and Dawt Dim will become dependent on their eldest child ? Esther ? to provide for the family in the future. Esther will take over supporting the whole family: Aung Mang, Dawt Dim - and her two younger brothers and sister [until they are adults and obtain their own jobs ? if jobs are available] ? when Aung retires. This is a lot of responsibility for a 20-year-old, but Esther sees it as a way of showing respect and honour to her parents. Itfs also a further complication in her story as Esther is stuck without the means to provide for her family, unless she can develop a professional career such as a teacher. NEW ZEALAND LINK Given her predicament, Esther needed to study for her teaching degree outside Myanmar. Estherfs father, Aung Mang, has made huge sacrifices over nearly 20 years to serve Myanmar, and we have huge respect for his character. Thus, we have offered to Aung [whom wefve brought to NZ every year for the past eight years telling Kiwis about what is happening in Myanmar], to support Esther to train in NZ to become a teacher, and then return to Myanmar. Esther agreed that NZ would be a good option ? especially given her Dadfs links with NZ. She applied to study for the Bachelor of Teaching degree [BTchg] at Laidlaw College Auckland campus. Esther had to wait 10 months to get a student visa to New Zealand, which took a lot of patience. Eventually, she received her New Zealand student visa, though so delayed that she arrived at Laidlaw two weeks late [on the 5th of August] - the very last day that Laidlaw would accept her this year! ESTHERfS CURRENT SITUATION Esther is now settled at Laidlaw College, living in a tiny dorm room on campus, doing a probationary semester, after which she will be accepted into the three year BTchg degree from the beginning of 2014. THE FUTURE Obviously, Esther is under pressure to be able to provide for her family in the future ? the reality in a country without pensions ? and this willingly accepts. Having a professional career as a teacher will clearly help, and she needs qualifications to be able to do that. When Esther graduates, she plans to teach at international schools, where she will be paid better than the teachers at government schools, AND also she plans to give private tuition to government school students, to help improve their learning experience, and so they can pass the standard government exams. Esther has big plans for the future, and real and specific plans for the future ? not just dreams. But she needs our help to make them happen. ESTHERfS NEEDS With a BTchg from Laidlaw College, which is a quality qualification, Esther will be able to get a well-paying teaching job back in Yangon. She will be able to teach young children well, and so give them the best possible start in their education and improve their life prospects. She will also be able to support her parents, Aung Mang and Dawt Dim when her father can no longer work. The total cost of Estherfs education in NZ is $20,000 per year, which includes an annual trip back home each Christmas. Without this level of support Estherfs education at Laidlaw College is uncertain, and her plans and responsibilities back home are in jeopardy.
