Sai Lao Main is a young active Mobile Teacher Trainer (MTT). He grew up in southern Shan state, Taunggyi Township, East Mine Thaw, Payar Ngarhsu village.
In this interview, he shares his experiences travelling to remote villages, meeting with people from various backgrounds, and what keeps him going despite the many challenges being a MTT.
Prior to becoming a Mobile Teacher Trainer (MTT), what were you doing in your village?
I was a farmer and involved in a youth organization as a Vice Chairperson. I was also teaching in the Shan literacy training during summer vacation for 8 years, and I was traditional dance teacher.
How did you become a MTT?
As a mother tongue teacher, I want to help children how to read and write in their own language not only in my village, but also in other communities. These children spend most of their time in the farm and have limited access to education. By teaching in different communities, I can assist more children in their education. There is a proverb saying that, ‘You will not become a peerage if you are not moving to another place’.
I was always on the lookout for opportunities that will allow me to move from one place to the other and support in mother tongue education. One summer, in a literacy training at Shan organized by the Shan Literacy and Culture Committee, I met Sai Aung Than, who is the Vice Chairperson of the Center for Rural Education and Development (CRED). CRED is an organization that works in many communities in Shan to promote ethnic education. I shared with him my passion in mother tongue education and he told me that they’re looking for MTTs to join their team. In that conversation, I got to know more about CRED, what a MTT does, and he said that I have the qualifications to become a MTT. And the rest is history. I’ve been a MTT since October 2017.
Can you share what the MTTs do in the community?
MTTs go to the community to look at the different factors affecting the children’s education and provide the necessary support. For example, MTTs look at how the teachers deliver their lessons and if there is a need to further enhance their skills, the MTTs organize capacity building activities for the teachers. These activities aim to upgrade the teachers’ knowledge and skills in different teaching methodologies so that they can teach more effectively.
Aside from that, MTTs get a glimpse of the livelihood of the community and that gives them an idea how education is being prioritized by the school committee and the community. This information allows the MTTs to better plan for the support that they will provide in the community with regard to children’s education.
Most of the parents especially in remote communities don’t value the importance of education for their children. That’s why MTTs also meet with the parents and discuss with them the importance of education. So the work of MTTs is not only for providing training to teachers, it also involves frequent discussion with parents – and persuading them – to prioritize their children’s education. Lastly, MTTs also check what kind of learning materials are needed by the schools they visit so that they can inform their organizations. Their organizations then facilitate the purchase of those schools materials and send them to the community.
What are the challenges do you usually experience when visiting communities?
During the rainy season it can be difficult to travel especially in remote and mountainous areas. Roads can become unpassable because of flooding, landslides, or too muddy for vehicles. It can also be hard to cross rivers because of the high water level. In addition, travelling from one place to the other means passing by areas that are politically unstable or where fighting occur. When things become unstable, sometimes we get stuck in one village and wait until it is safe to travel to another area. At check points, I need to present myself to the authorities in a calm manner, explain my work and the details of my travel, and I have to make sure that the data I collected from the community will not arouse suspicion.
I think these are already part of the MTTs work. No matter how challenging, I’m still eager to continue my work because I want to help many children and communities. Whenever I feel like giving up, I always tell myself that I’m not doing this for myself, but to my people – to the children who deserve to have access to quality education – and that keeps me going.
What it is like when you’re already in community?
When you go there for the first time, talking to the parents can be difficult. I have to build trust by introducing myself, my role as a MTT, and the importance of community participation in supporting children’s education. Communicating with them can also be difficult sometimes especially for other ethnic groups or tribes that live in a community. When I was still new as a MTT, the community members would ask questions that I couldn’t answer right away because I wasn’t still that experienced in dealing with issues that other villages and communities are facing. So one community is really different from the other. I also learn from them and that allows me to improve how I do my work as a MTT.
What do you think are the essential qualifications to become a MTT?
The person must be comfortable travelling from one place to the other and in remote areas. It’s important that s/he knows how to communicate well with different people coming from different ethnic background and must be conscious or sensitive about local issues. The work can be tiring because of the many travels and challenges, the person must have the passion for ethnic education, a positive attitude, and strives to improve her/himself to better support the teachers, children, parents, and the community.
What makes you feel accomplished?
I feel accomplished whenever parents warmly welcomes me during our meetings and I’m able to answer most, if not all, of their questions. That means I’ve built that collaborative and trusting relationship with them. And when I’ve completed my tasks in one community before moving to another – like school profiling, training teachers, or teachings students –, I feel not only accomplished but also motivated to continue my work as a MTT.
Do you even have time to relax when you’re travelling?
Yes, of course. I find farming relaxing so when I have free time, I join the parents when they go to the farm and assist them in farming. Sometimes I also participate when the children, teachers, and parents clean the school compound. I find these activities relaxing and at the same time, they allow me to build good relationship with the community members and establish trust.
How do you motivate yourself and what else do you think you need to improve on?
I attend relevant training to refresh my knowledge and improve my skills. I always make sure I have time for participate when there are training opportunities. These allow me to become more effective when I’m doing my work in the community. As a MTT, having the confidence to talk to not only the community members but also to leaders is important. By talking to leaders or decision makers, MTTs have the opportunity to discuss issues with them relating to education and recommendations.