Recent catastrophe increased worries that children cannot go to school.

More and more children are seen working at tea shops, in the markets and on the streets in the cities of Burma and the towns along border.

Many children dropped out from schools to help increase the income of their family by working in poor conditions.

We would like to hear from you how this problem can be solved. How the Burmese society can help to alleviate this problem.

The programme took place on 30 July 2008.

The followings reflect the balance of opinions received so far...

Many cities around the world have street children. Even in America. However, too much children have dropped out from school because of the poverty in the land. At the same time, people no longer see clear value of education. When uneducated soldiers are ruling over people with education, it discourages children that education is the best way for life. The professors and the medical doctors who are highly educated have to look up to the uneducated military officers. It is sending wrong message in many ways, especially; many people can no longer see the value of education. Therefore, military government is the core source of this problem.
Zam Mang, USA

The most responsible organization for causing children to end up their lives on the street is 'Ministry of Education' and its superiors - SPDC. Why do some parents let their children quit the school? The answers: What is the guarantee of having good education in Myanmar? How much income they can expect from the child after 11 years of education to get a pass in high school or 15 years to get a degree from university? The chances are still very high for these educated children to end up their lives on the street. I urge Burmese societies in overseas and in the country to play a role to repair existing education system in the name of revolution.
Kyaw D, Singapore

Children are weak, children need protection. If parents cannot protect children by many reasons, there should be good and decent law to protect them.   Tom Tun, Calgary, Canada

There has been more children drop out from schools after 1988. This will affect the country in future. Solving the problem is not that so difficult. If I were the government, I overcome this problem by approaching long term and short term approaches. This is our national concern.
Ko San Tint, Perth City, Australia

My three boys go to schools in USA. We do not need to worry about what they will eat at school because the government cares about the welfare of children. In Burma, no lunch is provided to children even if the children come from very poor family. Now, citizens are having difficult time to make enough living for one meal. The government needs to wake up and take care of the children who are our future. SPDC is useless in taking care of the children. Military dictators cause severe poverty in the land, and now it hits rock bottom as children are on the streets instead of studying in the classrooms. SPDC is 100% liable for this issue.
Van Mualcin, USA

It is good the media raise the issue, no matter who should take the blame. Main objective should be to transform Burma from agric-society to industrial-society, which will relieve Burmese youths from ploughing fields to attend schools for industrial education. To do this, govt must put great efforts to mechanize the agriculture system. Once relieved, due mechanized agric-system, youths will have time to go to vocational schools for industrialization process. All these processes shall need funding which is to be requested at World Bank, ADB etc by govt. Govt should be keen to do this transforming process (Agriculture-to-Industry) by BOT Loans from these Banks by convincing the social values of this process. Once the society is inductral-based, there is no need to worry about kids drop out from schools to support themselves.
Aung M. O., Singapore

many people can no longer see the value of education.   Zam Mang, USA

I like to open my discussion with quotation by one of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's word. Daw Suu said, "Women and children are not the one who started the war, yet, in civil conflict women and children the one who suffer most". An indeed true word that has spoken by the bravest lady I have ever known. Government neglects increasing in number of street kids and child labours. The neglect is failed to improve and raise the social standard of the bottom society. There are two parts to fix the problem, the responsibility of the government and the responsibility of the entire Burmese society. Burmese government should regulate child labour law. UN Human rights regulation has some law about child labour. However, as we all know Burmese dictator has broken so many of UN rules and treated UN as an organization of CIRCUS CLOWN, there is so little chance for the army to follow the international law. Children are weak, children need protection. If parents cannot protect children by many reasons, there should be good and decent law to protect them.
Tom Tun, Calgary, Canada

A teacher's salary is no longer big enough to feed the family. Even a policeman can make more money than a doctor can as long as the system is so corrupt. Education seems worthless to those who are chasing the lifestyle of Gen. Than Shwe and his SPDC. Children are growing up in that kind of society for too long. Children have been brainwashed with that environment. In addition, economic hardship pressed hard on parents not being able to send children to schools. Even if children are sent to schools, many schools no longer care about the future of children. Teachers struggle for their own survival and are not able to focus on students. As long as elite generals can maintain their own power, our children's academic problems will never be a concern to generals.
Salai Liandang, USA