(Prof. Dr. Ma Tin Yee, more affectionately known as Aunty Rosy, is the Rector of All Ethnic International Open University)

BURMA DIGEST: So you have successfully completed this semester. Some people got  confused and so can you tell me what the difference between EWOB and AEIOU is?

Prof Yee: Yes! We have successfully concluded this 2008 semester. EWOB is Empowering Women of Burma which is an NGO founded since 1992,     and registered in Canada where I started with one sewing machine in the Thai-Burma border area to help the refugees’ women and children. Since then we have come a long way working silently with humility and sincerity. AEIOU is the one of the major projects of EWOB started as a University Upgrading Course (UPC) as a pilot project in 1999/2000.

BURMA DIGEST: How did AEIOU started?

Prof Yee: Working for the women and children in the refugee camps I discovered the real problem of the youths. The refugees, Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) and Migrant Youths are prevented from further studies because they have little or no choice. Annually, the refugee camps at the Thai Burma border regions are churning out about 3,000 highs schools graduates. Camp leaders and elders who have vision requested us to find opportunity for the younger generation to study. Very few of them have little or no hope for further education. Some found jobs with the NGOs with a minimum wage but most of them are unemployed. Some sneak into towns to work as illegal immigrant workers. Some got involved in narcotic and became a problem to the community and to the host country. Others became desperate and went out to the front lines to battle the Junta forces.  Some of them got married and their offspring and family suffered the same fate and vicious cycle begins. Less than one percent of these youths get scholarships to study abroad but here again they faced a lot of problems and difficulties as they are placed into an entirely new atmosphere with different value system, language, climatic conditions and food. Obviously very few could keep up with the modern method of life at their respective universities abroad. It seems that the prospects of these refugees have little or no future at all. There should be some alternatives to ease all these tension and create better world. Hence the continuing education becomes a necessity and we founded this AEIOU.

BURMA DIGEST: Why is it called Open?

Prof Yee: Open University means we do not teach the whole year round. We let the period of study open for the workers and others who are not able to attend a regular class the whole year. First semester is in Chiang Mai and the second semester is in their respective communities to implement the assigned tasks and independent writing. They also have to organize the youths. If a student did not implement the assigned task he/she does not come the next year.  We also discover that some take the intelligent youths train them in English and computer and send them abroad where most of them stay for good. Others emphasize on distant learning education but the contact between teacher-pupil is minimal. It     was in between these two that we hit on the Open University idea. We admire the Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University www.stou.ac.th of Thailand and it was on these lines that we draw up a plan. The other aspect is that we did not want the student to be cut off from their roots.  The spirit of going back and serve their own community have to be encouraged.

BURMA DIGEST:     You, yourself has come back from a third country and why did you prohibit the student from going to a third country?

Prof Yee: That is a very good question. We have no objection students going to a third country, especially those who are seeking asylum, as they have no choice. What     we are preventing is the brain drain and the mass exodus of the ethnic community which tantamount to encourage the ethnic cleansing policy of the Burmese regime.

BURMA DIGEST:     Aren’t you destructing individual rights and democracy as far as going to a third country?

Prof Yee: No. We have given the student a choice. If they want to go to a third country they can and let that third country educate them, not us.

BURMA DIGEST:     Does this mean that none of your student can study abroad?

Prof Yee: No, they can do it.  We have sent the third year students abroad and they have come back and served their own community. We understand that they need exposure and experience of how people in other countries think and act for themselves and community. Thus we plan further study program at least one year abroad. Selection is very strict, and observation is very thorough, student should be competent to reach a third year with a good moral character, commitment and dedication. In short they must be also nationalistic and competent. Then only he will be selected to study abroad or at least in a Thai University.

BURMA DIGEST: Why you said Thai University, what do you mean?

Prof Yee: Well this year is conspicuous. First is that we able to send 7 students to the professional institutes. One to Dentistry, Two to Medical College, One to Technology, One to Business Administration, One to Humanities and one will be send abroad. We found that Thai University is friendly and good partner interns of education. We trust that the standard of education is up to the mark in professional field. Second we could ink the MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) between our mother University, the Simon Fraser University (SFU) of Vancouver, British Columbia and Chiang Mai University (CMU).

BURMA DIGEST:     How many students and faculties this year?

Prof Yee: Only 35 students, we have about twenty three students in the Faculty of Social Sciences including Humanities  and about a dozen in the Faculty of Pedagogy. This year we train the High School teachers leading to B ED courses in lieu with the Faculty of Education of the Chiang Mai University.

BURMA DIGEST: How do you screen and streamline the students?

Prof Yee: Every student must successfully complete the first year where in the first semester, he/she will have to take five compulsory subjects (English, Computer, Contemporary Burmese History, Thai Language and Administrative subjects) and another two optional subjects, here in Chiang Mai (Jan to May). The second semester in their respective community and write the research paper and organize the other youths and if he met the criteria he was selected to study professionally.

BURMA DIGEST:     Is there any bond with them?

Prof Yee: Yes. They must serve one year at AEIOU and go back and serve two or three years in their own community.

BURMA DIGEST:     Is there anyone who betray?

Prof Yee: No! Up to this date.

BURMA DIGEST:     What is conspicuous about AEIOU, and what are the salient points?

Prof Yee: (1) Up to this day it is the one and only Burmese University in Diaspora.
(2) Conspicuously, laying down the spirit of Pyidaungsu (Union Spirit) for the Union of Burma
(3) Unlike other universities our curricula is catered to the need of the country. We designed the curricula aligned to the country in comparison with the ideas that our generation’s need, the gap in our country education system, and the future prosperity.
(4) We give Diploma only after 80 credit hours and Degree 160 credit hours which come to at least four years in the latter and two years in the former. This is because ours is intensive course in the first semester and more time for concrete research and independent writing in the second semester.
(5) We are the only institution that wittingly or unwittingly did not encourage the brain drain. It is the University of Burma, for the people of Burma, by the people of Burma far away from the encroachment of the Burmese Generals.
(6)Enable to give a good and a virtuous vision to the students, to be patriotic, to serve the country and people, to lead a more holistic life, to enjoy an innocent youth life etc.

BURMA DIGEST: Do the population knows these criteria?

Prof Yee: Of course they know and the youths choose to sit for the matriculation or entrance examination, every year in hundreds.

BURMA DIGEST:     When is the Matriculation (Entrance) Examination and where the student can answer? And what criterion should the student know.

Prof Yee: We have the annual matriculation examination in July or round about. Since we are taking several categories of students such as refugees, IDPs, migrant workers and those from inside Burma we have round about 40 exam centres. We usually held exam centres in almost all the refugee camps of the Thai Burma border area. Then we have it in border towns for the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) like Laiza in Sino Burma area and Aizawl in Indo Burma areas besides the Thai Burma border area. For the migrant workers we have international centres like Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Kuala Lumpur, New Delhi etc. The criterion is English to that of the GCE (A) LEVEL and General Knowledge must be at par with the current Burmese and International affairs.

BURMA DIGEST: How did you select your Faculty members?

Prof Yee: We invited the Professors both Burmese and foreigners especially those who are well experienced and love to teach, some professors responded with Cetena and continue to teach for one semester after another. While some leave for various reasons. Most of them are volunteers and attracted by humanitarian gestures and loved the students whose thirst for knowledge exceeds far beyond the standard. It is both-side learning and on the whole the result is satisfactory and we owed lots of gratitude to them. Up to this date we have 27 professors from 13 countries.

BURMA DIGEST:     How do the subjects are taught?

Prof Yee: Medium of instruction is in English except French and Phad Sar Thai.     Even though our curriculum is standard it has to be aligned to meet the exigencies of the day e.g. we discovered that previously Trauma was found only in refugee and IDPs students but as of this year we discovered that a lot of Trauma was found in every student coming out from Burma, and also from the migrant workers hence the cure of Trauma become a necessity and for this subject name it as Stress. It was taught by an expert from France. May be this year because of the conditions in Burma, psychology and Trauma subjects will have to be introduced more clinical.

BURMA DIGEST:     Do you teach Burmese?

Prof Yee: No, not at the University level. It must be taught in the high schools for in the Matriculation we have translations from Burmese to English and vice versa and if any schools that did not teach Burmese it is obvious that their students cannot answer the annual Matriculation Examination. We accept Burmese language as a lingua franca among all the ethnic tribes of Burma.

BURMA DIGEST: Some people accuse that AEIOU is half university and half booth camp?

Prof Yee: There are always wild accusations. Remember our university motto is “Academic Excellence and Superb Training.” We emphasize on training the trainers, hence many workshops and training subjects are included. A student must be punctual, do the daily chores, study 5 hours a day (not including 6 hours in class) and must be amity with others. Prohibited from smoking and drinking (we consider it as a weapon of enemy because in the narco baron ruled Burma if     you are caught with narcotics you got a light sentence but if you happens to write a poem on the merits of democracy you are jail for 3 years). We imposed these rule stringently. In other words we wean out the student and take only the cream. We believe that it is necessary to follow a right path to reach the goal. That is why if you go to any refugee camp, IDP or Migrant areas you will witness that most of the youth leaders are those who passed out successfully from AEIOU. We appreciate them for applying their knowledge they gained here.

BURMA DIGEST:     Some people compared your AEIOU with other universities and that you are somewhat giving the student a Spartan training.

Prof Yee: AEIOU is a war time university education. The fact that we could not run this programme in Burma itself is a proof and cannot be compared to the other universities which are peacefully teaching in their own country. As said earlier     Burmese Government is against higher education itself lest the people got educated and threaten their position. We are somewhat similar to what the French patriots aligned their education during the Vichy government or that of the Vietnamese education during the time when the Americans were bombing with might and main. As such AEIOU should be compared to the war time education system on an ad hoc basis.

BURMA DIGEST: I am sorry to ask you this question since I cannot contribute any pence to your good cause. But can you tell me where you get your budget.

Prof Yee: Ours is just a simple lean and mean machine. Before saying the budget we should start with the commitment. Budget is not the criteria. It is the commitment. The aim to help younger generation should be clear and have to implement to reach the goal selflessly. Remember EWOB commence with one sewing machine and now after two decades we are running sewing projects with over hundreds of sewing machines in the peripherals of Burma. So also when AEIOU started way back in the 90s it has only a dozen students and now it becomes a degree program with over 30 students every year. To be candid, the funds are usually from the church based NGOs from Europe and from individuals, compassionate and sympathetic persons from all corners of the world. But we admit that we have no regular funding or commitment donors to support our program. Therefore every year we have to go round and lobby from them. Presenting real situation of the project, the need felt, including reasonable budget planning and way of implementation plus transparency and accountability are the main components we present.  We always report fully and questions are answered.  Donors are welcome to visit the program. As seeing believes, any time donors can come with own plan or arranged. With reasonable amount of donation we can implement as we are volunteer and the expense of the office is minimum. Appropriate management and dedication is much more important than the affluent fund. Of course sometimes we do not get even half of the budget, but our projects survived yearly and the programs grow obviously. Now we are in the 9th year and we are confident that our friends will never fail to help us. Education is the pillars of Democracy and Evolution of thoughts are undeniable and desirable for the people of Burma.

BURMA DIGEST: What is your set up?

Prof Yee: EWOB has its board members and so like wise AEIOU has its University Council which are spread world wide. They communicate each other by email and give necessary advice and information. We refer to them when we need technically. Now I am serving as the Rector, and there is a Dean, Registrar, Board of Examiners, office manager and many assistants. We have an office in Chiang Mai and our coordinators are working hardly. The most crucial and dynamic persons are the grass root level camp crews in refugee camps, representative in IDP and Migrant workers areas. In the international exam centres we have our contact persons and of course inside Burma we have our men who have to be very discreet as you might as well know. It will be unfair if you compare us with the Oxford, Cambridge set up as we already told you that we are building a war time education system. But the basic structure is not less than others. We wish we would reach a real university set up with chancellor, trustees and crown with the president of Burma etc, we harbour that dream but can only come true if all people accept the importance of education in building a democratic Burma or a utopian society of our dream. But nobody can deny that professors in our program brought new thoughts and educate the generations with inspiration despite of crisis and risk. Their selflessness and dedication should be always honoured and respect.

BURMA DIGEST: What is the underlining Rationale?

Prof Yee: Democracy cannot flourish in an education vacuum, has been proven by the contemporary history of Burma since independence (1948). Successive military administrations (starting from 1962), has targeted education to sustain them in power. AEIOU in short is a systematic accelerated capacity building institutions laying down the foundations of Union Spirit, democracy, good governance as students became dynamic work force, if not natural leaders in their own community, empowering and multiplying the democratic ideals in the civil societies. We believe that,” what Oxford and Cambridge Universities think of today, England will think of tomorrow and what AEIOU think of today, the Federal Union of Burma will think of tomorrow.”

BURMA DIGEST: Do you have anything to say to the people of Burma?

Prof Yee: To the people inside the country in time of desolation stand firm and constant in the resolutions and determination, be brave, and stand up for the truth. I am proud of their dedication and sacrificial spirit  for the country and helping each other in time of need please keep it up, for in the end Truth shall make you free. To the Burmese in Diaspora I wish them to think globally and act locally support each other rather than the internet warriors. To be candid we are in the same boat and if we are united and have much more understanding each other than now our destination to success is not so far. To the youth, read more knowledgeable books, put more interest in education, rather than fall into temptation. Experience may be the best teacher but believe strongly that only education can expand your vision and purify your thoughts for better society and for yourself.

BURMA DIGEST: Thank You