Visit to Thailand

1
Visit to Thailand

• 7th-16th April 2008
• Duncan MacLaren
• ACU

2
Objectives

• Discuss project with past and current students as
  well as relevant Karen organisations
• Ascertain from the Karen which subjects would be
  useful to offer
• Gauge IT and other needs
• Investigate possible partnerships with NGOs
• Gather elements to develop a strategic plan

3
Burmese Refugee situation in Thailand
COERRs response
4
Context

• Longest-running civil war in the world
• 140,000 registered refugees but continued flow
  from Burma
• 30 of people in Burma live below the poverty
  line and will be worse in ethnic areas because
  of continued repression
• Educational system within Burma has more or less
  collapsed
• Mae La camp has 41,000 registered but at least
  9,000 unregistered refugees

5
141,736 REFUGEES LIVING IN 9 CAMPS
victoriously
COERR office
BAN MAI NAI SOI 19,480
BAN MAE SURIN 3,653

COERR office
MAE LA OON 15,359
MAE RA MA LUANG 15,414
COERR office
MAE LA 40,897 UMPIEM
18,790 NU PO
15,658
Rajburi
COERR office
BAN DON YANG 4,316
THAM HIN 7,571

6
ACCESS ROADS TO CAMPS ARE UNPAVED MOUNTAIN
TRAILS
7
ACCESS TO CAMPS IS VERY DIFFICULT
IN RAINY SEASON
8
Steep slopes
9
INSIDE THE CAMPS. RISK OF FLASHFLOODS,
LANDSLIDES
10
Education in Camps

• Two initiatives to start higher education in Mae
  La
• Leadership and Management Training College
• 60 students doing a B.A. and B.Sc. hoping for
  recognition
• Karen Education Dept setting up courses

11
ZOA Report on Higher Education among Refugees

• Main barriers lack of permission to attend
  courses and lack of accredited qualifications
• Subjects accounting, business, economics,
  education, health, engineering, law, management,
  philosophy and political science
• 3 options study at a Thai university, acces to
  English-language universities in Thailand,
  distance learning

12
Listening to the Karen 1

• Preferred courses human rights, leadership and
  management, politics, sociology, development
  studies, law, computer skills, communication,
  community development, accountancy, public
  health, SE Asian Studies, human resource
  management, business studies and ethics, teacher
  training

13
Listening to the Karen 2

• Lessons foundational course in English and study
  skills, fixed place with internet access ( not
  allowed in camps), combine online work with face
  to face tutorials, gear courses towards Karen
  reality
• Resettlement thorny issue for leadership but
  university education provided near the camps
  could encourage the talented to stay
• IT need to set up from scratch.

14
Partnerships

• JRS interested in cooperation in camps where
  they work. RTEC membership?
• COERR concerned about Burmese migrants
• TBBC could help with coordination
• KED could help identify students
• ZOA could help with logistics, student
  identification and dealing with Thai authorities
• OUA using their enrolment system

15
Short term Plan 1

• ACU has identified business studies related units
  as the main ones they could offer as a
  contribution to the Liberal Studies Diploma
• AJCU to reply
• Give go ahead to William and KED to identify
  students
• Criteria
• Interview students (with help from partners)

16
Short Term Plan 2

• Alison Blair to work with members of the Karen
  community in Australia to gear the courses more
  towards the Karen reality.
• Budget
• Rent house in Mae Pa and look for computers
• Students apply for permit to stay
• OUA provides foundational course
• 8 units in one year
• Identify local tutors through partners
• To do all this, employ William.

17
Long Term Plan

• Carnegie Foundation cash for buying land and
  building a centre in Mae Pa
• Contact religious orders Jesuits, Marists,
  Sisters of Mercy, others?
• Work on rolling academic programme for next 5
  years
• Build in annual evaluations.

18
Criteria 1

• 1. students must have resided in a camp for at
  least 5 years
• 2. must have completed secondary education
• 3. good knowledge of spoken and written English
• 4. must pass short entrance exam
• 5. gender balance, preferably 50 female and 50
  male.

19
Criteria 2

• 6. most students selected from those who have not
  applied for resettlement
• 7. if accepted for resettlement, cant apply for
  course
• 8. should pledge to remain in camps for at least
  2 years after completing course
• 9. at least some students should come from
  poorest families.
• 10. course is open to students of all faiths and
  ethnicities.

20
Budget Liberal Studies Diploma

• Rent for 2 houses in Mae Pa for 25 students
  10,000 baht (minus electricity and water charges)
  per month 120,000 baht p.a.
• 10 Computers 200,000 baht (one off)
• Internet fee 800 baht a month 9,600
• Cables etc. 10,000 baht (one off)
• Salary for coordinator in situ (25 hours per
  week) 8,000 baht a month 96,000 baht p.a.
• Equipment 15,000 baht p.a.
• Student security 12,000 baht p.a.
• Stationery etc. 15,000 baht (one off)
• Miscellaneous Expenses 20,000 baht a month
  240,000 p.a.

21
Total Infrastructural Budget

• 717,600 baht per annum
• _at_ 29.5927 baht 1 AUD
• AUD 24,250
• _at_31.66 baht 1 US
• US 22,666
• (Rates as of 30th April 2008)

22
Fundraising

• How can RTEC members institutions/contacts
  contribute?
• NGO contacts?
• Foundation contacts?
• AJCU contacts?