After converting the education centre into a private school, the International Buddhist Education Centre (IBEC) will start IBEC Sayadaw’s Scholarship Programme for the grassroots children not to lose their right to education, its Information Centre announced.
IBEC, located in Sagaing hills, Sagaing City of Sagaing Region, was founded by Venerable Aggamahāsaddhammajotika Dr. Ashin Sobhita, the Stockholm World Peace Prize Laureate, known as IBEC Sayadaw.
While the monastic schools in Myanmar are required to follow the national education policy, there are only two associate high schools in Myanmar – Phaung Taw Oo and Sale monastic schools – and IBEC has been a monastic school offering high school education for 16 years. According to the regulations, monastic schools are only classified as post-primary schools, and since 1996, they have not been allowed to expand into middle or high schools.
Therefore, IBEC Sayadaw will officially open his private high school for novices and nuns. Parents and guardians should be made aware of the fact that the centre has been changed into a private high school, with the policy of “For school-age children not to lose their right to education, at any cost” based on far-sighted wisdom of Sayadaw, the announcement said.
With the conversion into a private school, school registration fees become compulsory. Despite the implementation of a cost-sharing system, IBEC Sayadaw knew that some grassroots parents, guardians, novices and nuns were worried about enrolment fees due to their income problem.
Therefore, the centre is planning to award IBEC Sayadaw’s Scholarship Programme, which includes full scholarships, partial scholarships and interest-free education loans, to the current old students at IBEC including novices and nuns, and application forms can be obtained from 15 May to 5 June.
Successful candidates for these scholarships will be announced on 18 June, the 54th birthday of Sayadaw and the 16th anniversary of the centre.
Thit Taw/ZN
