Mandalay Monk Shortlisted for Global Teacher Prize Skip to main content

Mandalay Monk Shortlisted for Global Teacher Prize

By | Wednesday, December 9, 2015

Sayadaw U Nayaka, principal of the Phaung Daw Oo school. (Photo: Teza Haing / The Irrawaddy)
Sayadaw U Nayaka, principal of the Phaung Daw Oo school. (Photo: Teza Haing / The Irrawaddy)
MANDALAY — A leading Buddhist educator in Mandalay, known for developing a a teaching method radically different that usually encountered in Burma’s moribund public education system, has been shortlisted for the prestigious Global Teacher Prize.
Sayadaw U Nayaka, the cofounder and principal of Mandalay’s Phaung Daw Oo Monastic School is among the 50 finalists selected for the prize, shortlisted from 8,000 nominees spread over 148 countries. U Nayaka is the first Buddhist monk and the first Burmese teacher to be shortlisted for the award.
“I’m glad, although I’m just a finalist. I hope this pushes me to do more for the development of our school, and helps to change the education system in the country,” he said.
Unlike government schools, which are the only source of education for most of Burma’s youth, monastic schools are established and regulated under the Ministry for Religious Affairs. U Nayaka has made a dramatic departure from other monastic and public schools, encouraging active learning and the development of critical thinking over the rote memorization teaching methods common in other Burmese learning institutions.
Around 8,000 students are currently enrolled at the Phaung Daw Oo school, which is staffed by more than 300 volunteer teachers. U Nayaka has also developed a teacher training center in his school, guiding dozens of teachers with his teaching methods to export them to other monastic schools.
The Global Teacher Prize presents a US$1 million award to the teacher who has made the most outstanding contribution to the development of education and the teaching profession for the year. The prize was launched by the London-based Varkey Foundation in 2014.
The final top ten teachers under consideration for the 2015 Global Teacher Prize will be announced in February 2016. The winner of the will be announced on Mar. 16, at the Global Education and Skills Forum in Dubai.

http://www.irrawaddy.com/burma/102558.html
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Chronology of the Press in Burma

1836 – 1846 * During this period the first English-language newspaper was launched under British-ruled Tenasserim, southern  Burma . The first ethnic Karen-language and Burmese-language newspapers also appear in this period.     March 3, 1836 —The first English-language newspaper,  The Maulmain Chronicle , appears in the city of Moulmein in British-ruled Tenasserim. The paper, first published by a British official named E.A. Blundell, continued up until the 1950s. September 1842 —Tavoy’s  Hsa-tu-gaw  (the  Morning Star ), a monthly publication in the Karen-language of  Sgaw ,  is established by the Baptist mission. It is the first ethnic language newspaper. Circulation reached about three hundred until its publication ceased in 1849. January 1843 —The Baptist mission publishes a monthly newspaper, the Christian  Dhamma  Thadinsa  (the  Religious Herald ), in ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Sri Bhaddanta Chandramani Mahathera

The Life Story of A Distinguished And Outstanding Bhikkhu The Most Venerable Saradawpharagree Sri Bhaddanta Chandramani Mahathera The Buddhist missionary Saradaw Ashin U Chandramani was endowed with great gifts and led a famous and long life. He was a very well known, distinguished and outstanding Bhikkhu Mahathera. While living in the Kushinagar Monastery, a place close to where the Lord Buddha had passed away to Nirvana, the Government of India had offered, and he had accepted, the highest, most honourable and respected title "Guru Guru MahaGuru". He became the first ever President of all Buddhists in India.A World Buddhist Conference took place in Kathmandu during the reign of King Mahindra of Nepal. The Conference was very well attended by over one hundred thousand Buddhists from various parts of the world and it was opened by King Mahindra himself. As requested by the King, Saradawpharagree blessed all the participants with the power of Triple Gems...
Post a Comment
Read more

Thai penis whitening trend raises eyebrows

Image copyright LELUXHOSPITAL Image caption Authorities warn the procedure could be quite painful A supposed trend of penis whitening has captivated Thailand in recent days and left it asking if the country's beauty industry is taking things too far. Skin whitening is nothing new in many Asian countries, where darker skin is often associated with outdoor labour, therefore, being poorer. But even so, when a clip of a clinic's latest intriguing procedure was posted online, it quickly went viral. Thailand's health ministry has since issued a warning over the procedure. The BBC Thai service spoke to one patient who had undergone the treatment, who told them: "I wanted to feel more confident in my swimming briefs". The 30-year-old said his first session of several was two months ago, and he had since seen a definite change in the shade. 'What for?' The original Facebook post from the clinic offering the treatment, which uses lasers to break do...
1 comment
Read more