Interview Transcription

A. Do not be afraid!
C. Yeah, Got his there!
A. Got his there? That’s right.
B. Uh.. the school was constructed in 2017, and office stated the enrollment, announcement, we are
going to open the school for this schedule media and stated in June, 05th within the cathedral hall,
that time, the school was under construction so we open it in the cathedral hall in two months, in
August, we moved to this building because ground stair was finished. At that time, the students
were 55 students. I, Deter including Misic, the driver and the Cook and was successfully done in
the first academic year. The second year, 2017-2018 academic year, we started with 12 teachers,
two coaches, two buses, two drivers, 155 students including differently involved person and we
also upgrade1, two levels of grade 2 and grade 3, then we also have successfully done in the
second year. We start again for the new academic year, this time, people are interested, people
accepted, recognized the school. Not only the parents but also the government, because in here,
our school this year, Vice state education department officer, children also enrolled here, other
staffs also, from that education department office, 12 students enrolled here,
A. Vice State education department officer?
B. Yeah, vice state education department office, other staffs also enrolled, also some teachers, I think
4 or 5 teachers, their children also enrolled here. They said in other schools, they don’t believe
that their children will not learning more and develop more that’s why they decided to learn here,
and they don’t believe in the government education system, so the good thing is, we are looking
here is , people also recognized, accepted, and also get involved with our school, that’s the good
thing. Uh…
A. How many applicants should you have this year?
B. Applicants this year?
A. Yeah!
B. 258 students
C. Altogether, you mean………
A. How many students, how many people came, and they want to keep their students here, how many
applicants, how many parents came, so that I want to send my child here, do you know?
B. Yeah, 258 students
A. So, you have 258 students enrolled! How many came so that I can send my students, my son here.
{C} and who cannot be accepted here?
B. Yeah, I think around 200 parents
A. 200 and more parents? and they said they wanted to apply?
B. Even this morning, some parents came and ask to enroll here. One parent applied this morning, we
cannot record for this one, sorry, just for estimated number, some through telephone, some via
teachers……
A. For next year, can you try keeping some numbers/ just write down somewhere, trying to record
how many?
B. Uh…this year we don’t record
A. Next year, can you try?
B. Yeah, we will accept 80 to 100 students
A. No, next year, can you record how many students, don’t get in?
B. Yeah, yeah, next year, we will record.
A. Maybe, after one day, go back from here we can record, write in front of them……and ask when
they leave…if someone calls, someone come to visit, we just have a piece of paper, we don’t have
 to put their name or anything, just jot down or we can say like 100 people came and asked with do
not place or there’s the different between 10 people and 100 people, it’s a very big different, so if
you can keep some records,
(C) and that way we can see at the end how many people actually, it’s very important to see, so if
a thousand people come…… that’s what we need to know
B. Yeah, yeah, next year we will record, this year we do not
A. That’s ok. Next year!
B. I will record, yeah
A. But this year we believe that around 200
B. And then the cathedral priest also said that, they also come into the cathedral hall
C. Ah, sisters’ saying that some go to cathedral priest ah… asking permission to get their children
here indirect way
B. And, that’s the successful. People all the time mentioned that most of parents, they love the St
Jonh school because of taking care of the children and also all the teachers got well training, by
putting their children here, they realized already, they see the actions of their children, and here
they trusted that the teachers got well training. They have like going down to Yangon in
somewhere get the training also some of visitors like Australian teachers, visitors teaching here,
people are realized and they observed, that’s a good thing, they mentioned this one, that’s why
they wanted to enroll here, and then some parents said that “our child is very not normal, please
accept us, if I put other places, the child will become a bad person, so I worried, he will educate or
not, so I worry if he become a bad person, just let enroll here. That’s what the people mentioned
about St Jonh school, and the challenging is that we need more teacher training, more teachers
because we will be increased.
A. Do you think the Australian teachers coming is helpful or not? Actual like, it’s great they coming
and good did there, the parents have also seen but the actual training, teachers, is it actually
helping or not?
B. Ah, actually helping in two ways, I realize in two ways. so one way we can learn some new
techniques and another thing is that when they are visiting here, and then all the teachers are proud
themselves, we are the right person, we chose the right job, we feel like this now. Two things, not
only from land, their teaching, also for their presents, is very important, its’ kind of an
encouragement. We are not only alone. We are this kind of the partnership with them. So we can’t
learn anything, so we are the right job.
A. The teaching methodology actually what?
B. Yeah! classroom norm’s also sometimes very difficult to describe ourselves because we do not
have this kind of experience in our school life, so very difficult too. some we can read but in
action. We need more. If we can what like not only one or two weeks or more, two months, three
months if they stay together here we will learn, all the teachers will learn, from students and
teacher and then they will observe when we are during the school then again, workshop again then
it will be more helpful for us
A. So you think it will be helpful for longer time?
B. yes
A. How long did they spend here last time?
B. One week.
A. One week! And one week is not enough.
B. It is not enough, we are only, they can like advice more like the teachers have no chance to see
what we are really doing in the classroom if they see what we are really doing the classroom they
can more advice to us I think.
A. So, that’s why I asked you is it helpful or not. But we are not saying you, actually use the
methodology of teaching is not helpful cause you don’t know it’s working or not working.
B. But classroom norm we are totally use and helpful. The norm, classroom norm and also how to,
this year visualize more personality of their child.
A. Ok, go. I should have kept asking you questions what you’re talking…so
B. Uh, in this number, students in these classrooms. We can say it’s ok. Next year we need more
teachers, we need to be built for next year teachers and the building also ok for next year but after
next year the building is hard to accept new students and also upgrade level for this school to high
school level. We want this school to have high school level until we are running the high school
level, the building also needed because we cannot build it ourselves. These two things are very
important and very challenging for us, for our future.
C. I have a few…Maybe I’m not going to join here, we have to say, but I think you are jumping too
fast, you have two kindergarten classes, two grade one classes and too many. You should have
grown one by one. If you have two grade one classes this year, you need to make sure, you need to
create three classes, four classes for next year, and then create five classes. And you more
teachers, more staffs and more spaces which is not practical. You have also said that you’re not
ready with the teachers so when your students go to middle school or high school, you don’t have
the teachers ready yet. Not only you don’t have the teachers, you are not sending teachers to PSI
or ACE to study for that, so where we gonna get, where we gonna get teachers for high school,
like teachers from Yangon going to come to Hogot to teach.
D. Now it’s also true that last Sunday we also make announcement that we need teachers, candidates
for teaching here. Now they are coming, getting their name so, now we are going to interview
them about five, we are going to accept them and then send them Yangon and so on and prepare
the probation for the future.
A. It’s important but the teachers in middle school or high school you need to have higher level than
primary school then we need to have more training within eight months or more to match high
school standard. The level of teachers must be higher. Now the people you are interviewing are
that standard.
B. Now, we are interviewing for the higher level, once, we have a training in Yangon also preparing
for the higher level, middle level but we have only one studying in Yangon
C. We also do for that now, current teachers have more or less experience in teaching in terms of
teaching so this person can also once again change, and then the new one has something like
that…
A. I promise a school teacher and secondary school teachers are very different
B. We have to train the new one
A. If you’re asking me to teach English, I’ll be interrupting the teacher. I can’t do it. The level of
primary teachers now cannot teach higher level. Neither I want to take higher level. I think my
hobby, I like kids and level one and do not have a job somewhere else, Not the teacher you need
for higher education so this is a big concern that I have, is getting the right teacher. You can have
building, the can build building, but what make St John different from every other schools here is
the methodology of teaching and how you teach and uh that’s what parents should bring their kids,
that what parents should pay for getting their kids, that’s why the vice state education officer is
sending their children here. If you get into high school level, teachers don’t have that capacities.
it’s a waste… so the reasons why after teaching here within six years they send their kids to the
state school. It’s not going to work, but I’m not uh… your plan is…I’m not agree, I don’t see how
your plan gonna work, you haven’t convinced me of having a middle school or high school, I’m
not there yet. The biggest thing is the teacher,
C. but in this case what will be advice for accepting, now as simple we think some are critiquing their
courage for our students, now they are coming and then let them be changed so that is one of our
approach, then what will be your suggestion in order to get to serval term teachers
D. I’m also not sure. It’s difficult if we are in another country I will send teachers to this school and
spend two years getting practical experiences so that they learn, but here if we send them for
practical experience is a challenge, finding the right person also challenge, getting to have right
experience is also challenging, having a mathematics teacher, even found a good mathematics
teacher it’s still a very difficult I think, you have difficulty to finding mathematics teacher, science
teachers, here is challenge, so biology, chemistry, or split or this one subject
B. in higher level, primary’s mixed and then it’s very small thing
D. But it’s difficult to find also…yeah like I said, if I’m in other countries I will send the teachers to
this place for two years for practical, in University does not make you a good teacher. I have a
master degree. I will be able to be a teacher. It’s an experience of personality and… so I’m not
sure what advice to give you because there are very challenging.
C. Uh…you know uh…for example, to upgrade level here, I mean in terms of class one after another
for example, then in order to be St John secondary school, we need to be in principle within 12
years right?
D. Yeah
C. So we think that we can manage more or less in this way, go a little bit seen to be faster, but in a
way that in confidence we can still manage comparing to other countries we cannot be so fantastic
of course but in Myanmar level should be ok, we think this way…
D. Yeah, I’m not confident that, I’m not convince, I’m worry about teachers. The teachers do not
have to be the best teacher in the world, we are not going to get the Yangon University Professor
but I’m not sure the quality of teachers going to get for that level. It’s going…yeah It’s the same
problems Kaley is going to have, so I’m not convince to him…in Kaley offer
B. Yeah, that’s why we need to prepare for secondary level teachers, start from here, start from now
if we prepare from two years ahead, three years ahead, it’s good for us, and secondary teachers
cannot teacher primary level, very different, and also the primary teachers cannot teacher the
secondary level as well
C. I’m questioning you the ability to find the secondary school teachers ……that’s the question
B. That’s why we need to train them, not in the Yangon fast but studying English, if they can be good
in English, we can send them to PSI, so PSI use only English for the improvement and if we do
not send, this year we do not send to ACE because ACE training offers for mostly kindergarten
level, we are offered for ACE, we are six funded for Montessori of PSI
A. PSI has a backup program, ACE has not so much
B. and then, PSI also need English, one lady or one guy we trained in the Yangon, he also very
young so he would take this important education and he passed the exam with high mark. He takes
distance education in mathematics he will study English now in Yangon. We have one guy
already and then now we announce to have one more applicant and then we will choose who can
be possible to send them and to train them in a long term for this secondary level, In Myanmar, in
Yangon is very difficult to find, like primary level ……we can find in Yangon everywhere but in
secondary level we have to go further, Thailand, or Philippine something like that to study…also
PSI…yeah
A. I don’t want to be investing a lot of money in building the building that we are not going to have
teachers to start them and also I do not convince for your plan. That’s lots of hard but I’m not
hearing anything concrete in some, it concerns me. Even PSI bachelor program is that still need
 some more cases …they still needed experience when I finished at University. When I finished the
PSI program, I still need experience
B. So…Uh…people are also demanding a lot of things, do you continue your level or not? In every
meeting, people write this question. so we will try, yeah, we have a dream to give this, we will
upgrade level so this is our promise to the parents in the school side so we need and want to
prepare for this…
A. We should be able to get to you twelfth if you took one course, one class per year, you have
enough salary to get to you twelfth
B. In these two building not enough, but within two years it’s enough but the teacher is not
A. The room is enough to make high school in this building if you make a few like …I want upstairs
in the kindergarten or Pre-KG has a stage, why you are not going to build other stage in the other
sides
B. No, we will build more stages too
A. that stage gonna go there? but why don’t you just leave the stage in the room there and build the
room on that side.
B. and then we gonna make there three rooms
B. Uh, because when we celebrate like uh Christian ceremony or parenting, the parents are normally
more increased so the space is too small.
C. Last year also, the space is not enough, some buildings are just here, veranda, so they could not be
seeing what’s happening during the ceremony
A. (Explaining the drawing)
B. Yeah, if we have one, one room, it will be enough for K12, but there is no library. this year we
accept two classrooms for KG and Grade 1, we cannot……Mmm
A. that’s very bad idea to take two classrooms for KG and two classrooms for Grade 1, you may here
assumption to building the building, I mean we can put in the library if the library and music room
are very important and proper smaller, or space somewhere but you are using classroom space
………
D. Yeah, some…this is just telling you that situation that we are going to accept just one classroom
then it’s going to be dirty students’ right, in one classroom than so many people will be leave out
…now 300 students going to be sorry…we have to think like this
A. What happen when we get to year six, and we don’t have enough room for students. Someone is
going to be disappointed some days to go by two in one year is not what we discussed the
planning when we started this three years ago. It’s not what we talked about. We change the plan
cause now we are facing super challenge to not have enough rooms
B. Because parents want to enroll here, we also concern for the children. This is a very method so we
want our children to get every child what number we get and we try. and then, again the
challenges are for the next.
A. Yeah, no matter, a master school is ginormous and you can take 2000 kids, parents always gonna
be disappointed, you are never going to have enough space too, to meet the demands of the
village, more people every year coming to Haka, the city is expanding, there’s always gonna be
more and more demands for phases, you are never going to satisfy that, you could have ten
kindergarten classes, or you could have even 20 in 10 years’ time, and you have a limit of 30
students per class, an average, 60 for pre-KG and it is a problem because when that class get,
when the pre-KG kids get to middle school / high school, you gonna need double teacher for each
class, so you’re not gonna have enough.
B. Yeah, that’s right. We need to limit the number
A. Yeah…
B. In coming year, in the Pre-KG also, we will not take anymore, just a few, 10 or 15 and Pre-KG
also, we will not take the new enrollment, so in December we will make sure all the parents, do
they continue or note, we will list down all the number so in their enrollment and then we do not
take record for them, waiting list also not because we cannot accept, this’s not good for them,
that’s why this year we totally stop recording all those one who can enroll here. Last year, we
recorded those one who enrolled here, those who are not accepted yet we record this year. We
totally not clean, I can say waiting list for the students, for those one who enroll here. Next year,
we can accept only very few number of Pre-KG, because some of Pre-KG will be five, so they
will move to the KG, so we can help a little
A. Yeah, that’s why I’m planning a number, so it’s very important
B. Yeah, yeah planning is challenging, and we hope, if we can accept more child, and more money,
but we need more things in other than…
A. the challenges, you have the money, if the students you have cannot afford the teachers you
have…
B. Yeah, good reminding, I know, for myself I want more children to have like Montessori so it’s
good for their behavior, I want more children to have at least they can have a chance to study,
something like that, we accept, it is no good I know…
A. I’m very happy if you have 2000 students, I will be very very happy, but what they can afford is
the same, if the school’s running is gonna lost, I think your running’s gonna lost the moment,
which means you can’t pay your staffs, what happen? so this is the challenge and even you have
more students, you have more staffs, so if you got another 30 students, you need another teachers,
and what if those students cannot pay their teachers and then you also have to remember when you
get into high school, the teacher’s salary will be higher as well, so if parents can’t pay for pre-KG,
Kindergarten classes now. In six years’ time when they are in high school, when you pay double,
or triple what to pay now, so you are not gonna be able to pay enough teachers or science high
school teachers, what should be paying the kindergarten teachers, so if they have trouble paying
that school faces now, what’s gonna happen in 5 years’ time. the part of this, the part of the short
process of planning as well, if you got now two classrooms for kindergarten kids and then if all
sixty kids will be paying for the tuitions will be ok, but if they are not, what if 70%, 80% the just
20% are paying so you are not cover enough by otherwise your staffs’ salary, that’s not enough
for the bus, bus maintenance, not enough for paying tax for the government, it’s not electricity,
it’s not school books, it’s not operating course of the school which is not covering by students
tuitions, which’s the problem so if you get more students, you have to spend more, more students
take more expense, more income but more expense, so if you can’t cover your expenses with the
students you have now, you still not gonna be covered with the expenses of the students if you
have more. You are great that studying to pay for the school year for, good merit, but there are
more things I need to be involved then…
B. Yeah, and this year also we announce already in the meeting, parents meeting, we will declare
permit, this year we are not pay, we will remind starting from this year uh…last year we remind
but not strongly, not with the paper, this year we will send to their parents if you agree to pay in
this amount of money……still we have to leave them something…
A. It’s quite interested, I have to still keep the… principle and …preference, not trying to forget that,
but if we keep running, keep how you’re running, your school’s gonna close. I don’t think who
gonna pick up the running class of this school, who gonna keep running the school, ……you’re
very quiet now……who gonna pick up the running course so you have to work out with the
number of the course for operating the course which’s what we spoke about for three years ago for
going to our planning, teaching planning, we have a plan, with amount of………yeah it’s a big
 thing, and you want to make it to high school and you don’t get the basic right now. The school
might make it, in my opinion, I might be wrong.
B. This’s good to remind us. Sometimes we running, running and ….
C. Sometimes it’s true, true …when we see the bright part, and enthusiastic and then we go a little bit
faster than, it’s good that someone is always reminding……
A. It’s fantastic to be enthusiastic, you would never get a way without things enthusiastic, and would
never happen and we will very lucky with your visit last year, and I will feel hopeful that people
are interested in supporting second building but if we can’t present a financial plan that works, it’s
kind of a lot of money for offer further stage and we need to show that we’ve got a plan to move
forward. that’s not talking about folium and but I know ……mean that we can’t get the formula
right here and the formula is not right……you understand what I’m saying
B. The formula?
A. the formula like there, we have to get right numbers of students, to the right numbers of the
operational course, ex-numbers of students, and paying of money, how much the operating course
in the school, so between now, it should not be next year, if we can’t get the formula right, yeah…
in folium, it means that we gonna have the same problem so we just continue the problem in the
places….it’s not gonna work. It just tries money with the problem that we need the formula to be
right. Does it make sense?
B. Yeah…I am preparing now, last year I presented to already but this year I do not close yet, I do
not finish yet. This is my draft, we’d like to show you, electricity……this is the students’ number,
financial, the parents, ……
A. So you receive 14791 expenses, see! even with this you can see, the staffs’ salary is 24 billion
Kyat which raises only 14 so you forget launch field course, kitchen facilities, everything else
B. It’s minus 23, yeah without the kids’ sport
A. You minus 23 billion? That’s terrible!…(interruption)… you make it to 23 billions
………another language discussion…… and this year you make it to 25 that mean as supporting
46, so what is it 60, 70 billion that you be in negative that we were supporting
B. Because we bought new car last year, and teaching resources
A. so you bought a new car for 5 billion and if you took out 5 billion, you still have 65 billion in the
negative. So next year we don’t support your school, school class, hah no?
B. No,
A. Why?
B. I owed these things because last year I always total it and then present it, this year for these
supplements we will use 25 billion, they will cost, sorry I’m doing that because I do not make
very beginning, you know I hope we will get not for the first course, we collect the theories and
then for learn not including these two things just for tuition fee for these all together you know, we
will amount of
A. 66
B. Mmm, yeah, if the parents or counterpart, if they will we will collect
A. But that’s why This 40 is part of these, yes?
B. Umm Humm, yeah!
A. This 46 if this 46 is not covered? This grade up to 120, yes, this expend is not covered by us.
B. Yes, it is minus.
A. This upgrade to 120 thousand will be minus even more, and your school is not sustainable like
this. Having more students and more staffs make the problems worst.
B. Ummm, the expense is more
A. Yes, you bring in more because you add more students mean higher tuition fee, but your spending
more because you have more teachers so you keep going like this you are going to bankrupt, in
Australia we call bankrupt. The school is closed. I don’t know how you are going to recover 120
thousand, a hundred and twenty billion Kyat, your plan is not showing up, I am very wise, not a
little wise, but very very wise.
B. But this year I am sure we will not be minus. I am sure.
A. But because we pay for the staffs’ salary
B. we pay the staffs’ salary
A. We pay the staff’s salary or you pay the staffs’ salary?
B. You pay the salary…
A. If you wanna pay the staffs’ salary, you’ll be negative subject, this is what I’m saying. You can’t
keep lying on us to pay the staffs’ salary. It’s not the part of the deal when we stated, when we
started three years ago, we focus on becoming self-sustaining jumping by three classrooms, not
only that being in grade 5, when you should be in grade 2, this is what the regional plan had for,
and now the situation ruin right now…
B. so, I just want uh…
A. It makes numbers worst, this is not a true representation, negative is it? more negative, a lot more
negative, you can’t run a school in negative, you can’t rely on paying staffs’ salary for the next ten
years
B. Yeah, that’s true
C. One of the things that we can do is to raise a little bit tuition fee also. Now when we look at some
private schools are really high, much higher than us, for tuition fee we collect, that one also
somehow a little we can raise a little bit but not too much, of course we consider the poor people
also
A. Yeah, that’s why they can see that the preferential treatment to the poor, if we have 80% paying;
for example, 10$, the operating course costs 10$, if you have 80% paying, 12$ so the 10$ covers
the operating course and two additional dollars all 80% that pay for 2$ more, they can then
support 20% that they can’t pay, yeah? but you are not doing that, this is not doing that at the
moment, I’m not saying Kaley style, it can increase the fund hugely but what I’m saying we just
think about the smart move going forward, we need to think about class space, we need to think
about them turning rooms into classrooms, leaving those in eight classrooms, leaving the office
there into classrooms, we can build another roof, build another building, that’s not gonna fix this,
making worst, we could double the amount of students, you still gonna have the same problem,
you still running in the negative. That’s all we need to fix.
C. Erm, one thing is also that uh, the more higher students we have, we will collect more money I
think, but in terms of salary more or less, it’s not a big different.
A. No, it is. what if, think about teachers, make more primary school teachers, a little bit or a lot?
B. For payment? Uh…the government during like uh more, erh…a little bit more
A. How much? a little bit more? what a little bit more?
B. Uh…
C. How many? Thousand kids?
B. Thousands yeah! I think 20 thousand or 30 thousand, just small and also like people are feeling
like the higher level they are more important, they think like that but in St John, we orientated to
the staffs already to those who are teaching in Pre-KG or KG level, or higher level that will be the
same level but the payment cannot be the same depending on their performance, Pre-KG can get
it, the teachers performs well, they can get more than others…
A. when talking about performance, we also talk about the right people, you are not gonna get super
qualified, you also not gonna get the people you need and pay them properly and you are not
gonna pay them properly if you are not collecting, it’s not gonna work. In every country in the
world, teachers make more money and I’m not sure how it works in Myanmar but the longer you
have been in the school for example, like I was a teacher in Australia, it may be different here, I’m
not sure, If I’m a teacher in Australia or a teacher in Cambodia, if I was teaching in a number of
years, if I teach grade 1, my salary would be higher and senior teachers also the salary is higher so
you will collect more when the students get older but you are not collecting enough now to cover
your teachers anyway so, even if you start charging more tuition fee for your secondary school
students you are still not covering your primary school, teachers’ salary which is going more
negative, even with nicer building
C. It’s really good that you make us clearly on the tuition and it makes us putting more on how we
are going to forward like working hard for fund raising in our own way like, for example, some,
during Christmas it is the case that we really have to do action to collect some money
A. Ah.. you need to write 120 billion Kyat in your fund raising to cover these as the school now if
you continue to expand that’s gonna be double. If you double the school now, you gonna need to
make 240 billion Kyat in your local fund raising. It’s difficult but it’s what we have to think about.
I can tell you now, we’re not gonna be funding for the next 10 years. We need a better plan, we
can help you for a while, like what we helped for the last few years if we are still here in ten years
funding the school we have failed, I’m gonna say we, I failed
C. As what we have been talking between two of us to share and then, we will open the supporting if
catholic mission is to say that umh please in the few years so on so forth, so this coming into our
mind but for the time being what exactly we are going to do to cover everything is still on the
process including the cooperation ……
A. I can promise you now we will get to year six, we will get you to grade six but you have to come
up with the better plan if you want to go to high school and you want to continue to high school,
you have to come up with a better plan because this is not working. I’m not willing to invest more
staffs more and additional building now and the formula is not working. It’s irresponsible for me
to continue to fund the school if we can’t get the formula right now. So I’ll get you to grade six,
year six, we continue to support at least to year six, to the class get to end of grade six. If we want
to go to middle high school, you gonna come up with a better plan. This is not gonna work. I’m
not gonna put more money into the school. It’s irresponsible of me with using donated money if
your plan not gonna work. I don’t say working at the moment. What you achieved so far is
fantastic and you should be very proud of what have achieved and I can see the differences in the
kids, the one we’re talking to this afternoon. what we see three years ago the difference is like
nine days to be mature, they become more confident, so what should be doing is working and you
should be proud of what’s been doing and what you achieved so far, it’s the one that long term,
the long year project to work. You have to come up with the different plan, different strategies.
This is gonna work. Frasis in Phnom Penh, that school run, not to collect any tuition, zero tuition.
They run from the farm that they have……this year we make 68 thousand of pigs. It’s a big farm.
Next year, we will make a hundred and twenty thousand USD from the farm which cover the
school completely but also unable money to go to different solar system project and you are able
to do the same thing here but we need to come up with more, a better way to do this. I mean few
for the cars in six million Kyat and that doesn’t get covered by the parents. Is that fairy? the
school bus, so the most profitable thing you have with the moment is the bus. so you’re breaking
even the bus fuel, but I don’t see the bus maintenance in here, the maintenance?
B. Oh, we included in the full cost, sorry!
A. In the full cost? so with service, with fuel and with everything? 6million Kyat, with just find
you’re getting 8.6 from parents, so the most proper part of your school the moment is the bus
service as a profitable part. And lunch that mean what you’re buying ingredients is spending one
million on lunch buying ingredients to cook and you charging 13, that’s a good thing, we covered
for the lunch
B. It’s also covered for the cook’s salary. It covers for one person
A. But your tuition fee does not cover your staffs’ salary, your stationary, where’s your electricity?
the power cost!
B. Uh…power cost is buying in the stationary
A. Stationary, so between stationary you know phone, stationary…2,9…yeah…you’re still negative a
lot
B. Yeah, the uniform, and you know at the beginning, we need a lot of things to buy, the kitchen also
we need to buy kitchen equipment, this year we also buy but not too much just one or two
something, yeah this year the materials are not so much like before.
A. Is that kitchen utilities? you know even with kitchen utility is still negative. The staffs’ salary and
a lot, and everything else.
B. Yeah, but this year we can use again this year, we will buy but not so much like this
A. Yeah, even making saving, it isn’t going to recover those…
B. And then roughly I could collect, this year will not be negative at all, we will not find for, we
cannot, we gonna find for the last two years negative one but……
A. But that’s with paying staffs’ salary. That’s why there are not negative this year. True or not true?
with your calculation paying staffs
B. Currently, I don’t include the catholic mission pay, for the catholic mission pay I hope it will be
covered
A. You said you are going to run a profit this year
B. Not profit, just a cover ah…just cover I think, not minus!
A. Not minus, I think if you could prepare the number. I’m not convince, I don’t see how can you
make up that amount of difference in one year, I don’t think it’s possible
B. Ah…that different thing is you know, like last we collected for the KG and Pre-Kg was lower but
KG for KG we are increase KG and grade one are the same amount of money
A. If you collect 66 thousand so that’s not 30 or ………
B. That 66 thousand is for the tuition fee
A. Yeah,
B. Not this one, not this one…not lunch not fairy
A. I still don’t see how you gonna make a hundred and twenty million
B. For last year to cover? Last year minus,
A. Yeah if for you to fix this year, you need to recover, you need to make a hundred and twenty
million
B. A hundred and twenty million, 250 minus, not a hundred
A. But that’s increasing the staffs’ salary, we take that now, if we don’t, if can’t finish or not being
paid for …
B. Then it will be more 25 billion
A. I think it will be more
B. Yeah, more
A. Yeah, I’m not convince. I need you to do the number for me so that I can see them and read them,
please
B. For this year?
A. Yes, and for next year, the year after…You need to do next five years, how much you’re going to
spend with students’ number that you have, not increasing by double classes every year. We can
get away for the two classes this year, it’s ok but not to grow more than two classes per year. You
don’t have the staffs for and you will run in negative.
B. We will not increase anymore.
A. So, you need to work out on number, we’d like to see the next five years with number, yeah you
can work out the next five academic year with aim, with increases per year of students, you don’t
have to show the parents or staffs, but you can focus in 2023 when we have aim, we’re talking
about when we are in year six, in year six when all classrooms are fall within year six, this is how
much we gonna be making, this should be able to focus on. You can think too far ahead. Before
you get to the secondary otherwise this number is gonna get worst. Because this number is not
included, the training the staffs,
B. Yeah, not include the training of the study
A. That’s also a lot of money.
B. Uh, I just include for only the salary, not teacher training
A. Oh the same, that’s why I’m saying, this is not the real, it’s higher so we need to get this right first
before sending teachers to train, they need to have a job when they come back to school to be
here. School’s not gonna be here to run in the negative
B. Mmm, yeah
A. So, let’s focus on year five because you can then also focus with the class, what class you have to
grade 4 now, 3? grade4? so you need to focus double classrooms within kindergarten now
B. Next five years? yeah double classroom
A. You need to calculate from the double classroom students to the finish year six, don’t worry about
those, so that’s five years from now, six years from now, so do it the next six years, every year
including them and then we will be able to see this, negative or positive and then you put the cost
up every year of enrollment fee, tuition fee, the lunch… plus whatever with the percentage is
appropriate and then we can see, and then you can stick to a hot box!
B. That will be draft, expense yeah…expense
A. Yeah, that’s the estimate how negative we can see
B. Do I need to cover this with minus three years?
A. No, it’s focusing forward
B. Yeah, I will start from this year
A. Yeah because I need to know whether this is a good investment to continue, that’s the key, if it is
negative in five years’ time, we are gonna go, Catholic mission will not support the next stage, is
not appropriate, is not responsible for donating money, see! you need to work out what the figures
are, excluding Catholic Mission support for teachers, we need to see the true number, what it cost
to run the school, that should be part of your calculation as well, because then we can the balance
what the negative is, and then we can try more calculates how to close that, is that make sense?
B. Yeah!
A. So that is no point to talk about Falam mmm, mean that if you can’t get the formula to work here,
we need to work, we need success first,
B. Yeah, we need to try
A. Because I’m sure you are not thinking that the school I mean that Falam
C. Father. I talk about of it, it is just a bit information because it’s always in mind and start of ……
some years and that is in decision level, also the needs of the people in term of education is in
equal the same, that’s why every year in Haka if we can do in the part of that’s nice, that’s the
wishes all the priest also saying if we put about two open sort of branches of St John, other parts
 also, then we simply during the conversation it may be not possible to open this kind of school, in
every zone, Er…not even possible in any branches…but at least Falam and mean that and beyond
our reach, I would say mean that it started already I think last year students……
A. What every passion the dashes we should have, what every path the dashes we should have is the
kindergarten, you should have a primary school in Falam, mean that they fit into St John for high
school, you’re not gonna be out to 5 teachers mean that Falam for high school but you can bring in
the students, not here, but maybe down the seminary, the property of high school, just building a
high school here, I would not suggest building a high school here or the seminary because I need
more space and the school that fit into this school, so you don’t need to have ten high school in
Haka you don’t have the population for, but if you have a very good one and I come in but if you
can’t get the formula to work here for primary school, they’re not gonna study in Falam meaning
that the number you gonna be running in, thinking that, it’s a good idea, this is not practical the
moment but in 20 years’ time, this should be kindergarten in every path, yeah maybe a few
primary school in Falam or in some of the bigger cities in Haka and then they all fit into this
school, so they all like what you said little, at first is St John and then fit into the high school,
yeah. So I we have 1 million high school teachers, secondary teachers or around Myanma, you
just have them here. It’s possible but the formula, but here it’s not right at the moment, so it is no
point, you can expand tomorrow going high and stick them in Falam that you gonna be spending
more money you don’t have. so that is more responses too, I think it’s a good idea but you don’t
have the formula yet to run
C. What hock this run for us also I mean we would like to see why we are doing with Catholic
Mission and without Catholic Mission, where we are going and so on, I think yeah, the most
important things
A. Yeah, I think with Catholic Mission we will get you to year six to end the primary school in year
six but unless you come up with the better plan, we will be going on to year six and you have
enough facilities yeah, to get you into year six and even get you into high school if you decide to
ignore all of us and continue to high school, you have the facilities already, you have the
classroom to get you to the high school, you can do it, and Catholic Mission will help you to the
end of year six, if you want to continue afterward with others you have the facilities to do that but
we want to continue if the, we don’t think the number for work
C. And, I think in past also more or less not clear if it’s possible, not to stop in primary level of
course so it’s good that we put it here to achieve that level
A. Yeah, this gonna get you low, this is what I’m trying to say like, it would be great to go to high
school, this is not gonna get there, literally it make extra money in the whole and it’s not
responsible for me to spend Catholic Mission’s money on it, it’s not responsible for to encourage
you to do it also, so this is why I’m saying it. If you decide to ignore my advice and continue on,
after grade six is your choice, this is your school, you can do whatever you want and with that you
have facilities to run to year twelve and want this building finish, and if you divide classes and
make the move to the suggestion, suggested you to move office to that space then moving Pre-KG
here during the thing you have the number to get to year twelve so you can do it. It’s possible to
do and but we won’t be here with you after year six, I’m sure the teachers from Balarak will
continue to support you and now continue to send teachers but it’s different from my involvement,
from……the teachers in Balarak will continue, I’m sure. But our financial support for…will not
be here after year six unless you fix these
C. To make it clear is possible, we really want to go along with you till achieve it there but…
A. But this is not gonna get there, ah…this is not going to……
C. That’s why we will really try hard to work it on then we always need to your criterion and so on…
as you know then we mention sometimes we go into enthusiastic and forget to reflex on it and so
on
A. Enthusiasm is a great thing, it’s fantastic thing to have enthusiasm
B. Without your support, we are zero, we start with zero. In our hand, we have nothing without your
support
A. No…Look at…this is nothing to do, other than buying, paying, giving the money for the building,
the kids happy, and the kids are being able to ask teachers what they’re thinking, has nothing to do
with me hah? Yeah, you should be very proud of what you have done
B. But in the two years, in finance we are negative but in our work is not negative
A. Yeah, but I’m worry about the finance…
B. Yeah, this is one concern, you know, the sustainable development of the school, not only the
school, but everything need to be sustainable, the teachers, the students, everything, all the things
are connected, we are worrying of these things, we are taking care of these. All the time, we call to
collect these minuses, sometimes when talking about what we have in the school, we can
contribute these amount of money…without support
A. But you can’t say that, and then say last year we were not so difficult to getting the money to pay
for the tuition, like those who doesn’t, what you are saying, and what you are doing is different,
the finance’s part is a serious part, as a principal it’s the most important part, don’t worry about
that teaching the kids, it’s getting this right that’s gonna be no school, one of the UN, millennium
development goal, everyone calls them as universal education for primary school for students
that’s up to year six, we’ll get to year six, whether with therein year seven, that’s come down to
this and how you work it out. This is not making me happy and …
C. Yeah, one hand is right but on the other hand also happy in the sense that we come to realize when
we are in and so on this is in a way fantastic because to go forward is somehow the foundation to
know what we are…
A. Yeah, this gonna workout for next step, I’m sorry. we destroy your plan…
B. No…No…
A. We do not follow your plan
B. This is very important, but this is a good thing, now we still have chance to prepare ourselves, to
reflex ourselves, so now we will prepare for the next stage yeah, prepare our finance and how to
grow sustainably to develop the school, sustain the school…
C. I think that I’m not wrong to say that it is not too late for us
A. No, it’s not too late but if you double the class that you can next year, or double the class this year
it will be a big mistake. If keep going with staffs like that you will not make it to year twelve
because you will go bankrupt
B. Eh, yeah! next year we will not make double classes but grade 1 and KG are already so these two
will be, if they transfer there will be two classes but next year for the Pre-KG we will not take into
two classes and other grades also, we will not take two classes, only one class
A. That should be a small school and be open than the big school because …
B. Yeah, yeah
C. Yeah, and also it will also have some connection with quality
A. That’s right, quality, and the biggest problem you gonna have is staffs, is quality teaching staffs,
that’s you, this is why I’m still not convincing about high school and getting the right teaching
staffs but as we said, we will help you upon to year six, after that we need to have some better
planning for the remaining parts and if we make some changes, you will be able to make the next
few years, this year, next year, and hopefully the year after also adding the building
B. We will make sure and then we plan and we follow the plan by not double classrooms
C. So at least two times you come to the, two times a year
B. Two times per year, haha…
A. Me?
C. Two times per year, yeah! we can end middle or at the end
A. I’m afraid it’s difficult to get …I’m waiting to the airport. It’s like take four days to go and come
back
C. Yeah, of course, it takes time. Yeah it’s true
A. so I have to go and come back
B. Next year, we will see the fantastic plan and the finance. From bakery, I’m sure we get some
A. I’m not sure you gonna recover the form, it’s a part of you plan. You need to work out what to
spend in a year, your operating course, and then I will show you the true number of what you need
to write, and then you should be able to divide the number of students via email tuition and other
faces, so you need to work out, now you’ve been working for two years. these things call fix costs,
and variable costs, the things fix cost just like your staffs’ salary that doesn’t change, thinks like
the fuel of the bus doesn’t change, things like car, like food doesn’t change, fix expenses then you
have the variable one things you pay for so between the things that can be fix and things that is
variable, you should be able to work out what your operating course are, and from your operating
course you can see how much to write to cover those costs, and that’s true through tuition, fund
raising, these parts of things
B. In December we will have another fund raising in the school with the parents, in last June we have
agreed already, like fund here, we will be selling some joining by the students or some protestants
in our school, and also for the bakery, we put already the washing machine, I hope at least one
parent or one family can give it one belonging, so we can cover some like medicine, we can cover
at least…
A. Medicine you are not gonna cover 46 staffs…you need to do more if you sponsor yeah!, maybe
trying to get the receipt to do collection once a year across the diagnoses in every path, to be right
for education maybe asking the Christian community in foreign countries to put the money for the
scholarship and the scholarship fund, and asking the Christian community in the US, and in
Australia, to have a scholarship, the chin community write the money and you put the money in
the bank account and interest, write form the money for the scholarship, to write the money, the
organization like…first stage medicine maybe connecting with the local hospital or connecting
with the local NGOs, or doctors in Myanmar…maybe connecting with the medical local NGOs in
Myanmar so that they can come in and donate some medication that you don’t have to buy or
connecting with the groups you have been visiting, medical teams in different countries, just like
in Cambodia, we have dentists from Canada, they came for a week for dental checkup for the kids,
this is the kind of thing you should trying to connect with, maybe trying to connect with schools in
Australia or one of the Baharat school, having the connection between the two Baharat schools,
schools in Baharat and getting them to support a teachers’ salary for a year or getting them to
support 20 students a year, or getting them like, this is the kind of way that you can, yeah, when
they come, ask them, we need to offer the staffs salary with the teachers in Baharat be willing to
support us for half of staffs’ salary for a year, maybe they will, maybe want, but you will never
know unless you ask, maybe linking up with the school there, school kids in Australia that could
write to the school kids here in Haka as pen pal, like email when the kids are older, when they are
in year six, pen pal’s part of English curriculum, if the kids in Australia interested maybe they can
raise some money for the kids here, then there are a lot of raises to fund raises and that is
additional fund raising, you can’t rely on that, you plan can’t rely on that money for your plan but
that could be some extra money for buying new books or buy new equipment for the playground
like, to rely on that is your operating course so whenever you’re running your dream, extra money
so why positive