We never know when the sunshine is coming to us...

Myoe Nyunt, CDC teacher, has written this beautiful letter to the UK Government to tell how important our Global School Partnership is to CDC.

Dear Mr. Andrew Mitchell,

We are incredibly upset for hearing about the UK government’s reconsideration of the DfID Global Schools Partnership scheme. As you know we have plight forever. We never know when the sunshine is coming to us. We are living illegally and we feel blind because we cannot go anywhere to be open-minded. Children are leaders for the future, so they need to know about the world wherever they arrived.
Global Schools Partnerships is a very important program for our Burmese students and Scottish students. It allows them to share their opinions and their culture in both communities. We have had our partnership for a year, during the whole year our students have improved in their thinking skills, knowledge about the world and nature of the globe. We teach our students all about the global education themes of peace and conflict, diversity, social justice, sustainability and interdependence. They have improved in critical thinking and know what they are, who they are, where they are from and their rights. We want our Burmese students to have the same rights as Scottish students. We want to be able to display the children’s work on the walls as your children do. If you view on the surface of our condition, you will think we are happy people. But, as you know, we are stateless people who have little opportunities for our future.
However, we need to establish this partnership because of the children; teachers, education committees and parents know that it benefits our community. It would like to describe the reasons why our partnership is so important to us:
· Our children are so happy to know that the wider world recognizes their dreadful situation.
· Knowing about the developed country and knowledge of the world.
· Children have improved speaking skills from the Scottish teachers visit to CDC school.
· The children learn new things and build strong relationships with each other through the pen pal project.
· The children have gained knowledge of Scottish life at Campie and lifestyles at home.
· Children are cooperating and working to model critical thinking by involving children in questioning activities, decision making and group work. They have known their rights and democratic elections.
· We want to observe Scottish education for the children in our community.
· If the program is discontinued, our teachers will not have the opportunity to exchange to each other’s schools. This exchange is vital for sharing the knowledge of both communities.

One of our teacher Say Hai who has a chance to visit to Campie school on 7th -20th November,2010 said “ I have learned a great deal about daily living, teaching and learning, political systems and beliefs, rights and equality from Campie school and wider community in Scotland. So it is very important for my Burmese children who didn’t have a chance to know about these. Now I can share with them, so I hope our partnership program is going to be in long-term.”
One of the children Saw Nay Htet Sann from grade 7 also said “I’m so happy for getting friends from Scotland and knowing about Scottish life and some of the political system and it also practices writing skill with my friend by foreign people from developing country. So my skills are more improve after I have had relationship with Campie’s children.”
DfID is Department for International Development between UK and many other countries, so we wish this program will run and give the opportunities especially for our stateless people and other place. On behalf of our children, staff and parents, I hope you see and recognize the benefits of this partnership and continue the Global Schools Partnerships program.( You can also see some photo at attach file)

Yours sincerely,

Saw Myoe Nyunt,
Partnership program coordinator,
Children’s Development Centre (C.D.C School),
Mae Sot,
Thailand.