More youths joining workforce in Myanmar rather than education

Reported by Thida Win + Yadana Oo Translated and Edited by Myint Win Thein + MYA

Although youths under 15 are generally assumed to be learning lessons at schools, more of them have to join the workforce to contribute to their family incomes by taking whatever jobs they can. In our township Hlinethaya, most youths between the ages from 10 and 15 have to work to help their families. Some of them were sent to school by their parents, but they refused to study in order to help their parents. Some of them were made to work by their parents. Whatever the reason, this is a loss for the country,” said a pensioner in Hlinethaya Township. Youths between the ages of 10 and 15 are working in teashops, restaurants and shops in Yangon, Mandalay and Nay Pyi Taw. Some youths of about the same ages are also are collecting old plastic bags, plastic materials, drinking water bottles, slag for a living in highway bus terminals, earning about K1,000 a day. Youths older than 15 are working in construction sites, snack industries, wig factories, other manual works and laborers in industrial zones. "I studied up to third standard. My mother needed my help to support our family. I leave home at 6 am, and gather plastic, pieces of iron and used water bottles only in the Aungmingalar highway bus terminal to sell them to recyclers. I earn at least K1, 500 a day. Sometimes I earn as much as K 2,500. There are five of our friends working in the bus terminal. They earn as much as I do," said a 12-year boy in Laydauntkan Ward in Mingaladon Township. Youths who work in teashops earn K 15,000 per month plus their daily meals. Those who work in snack shops and wig factories earn from K 750 to 1,000 daily. In my native Mandalay, youths of about 10 work in summer to help their families. Most of them work in teashops, snack shops and wig factories. Some children collect used water bottles thrown away by travellers at places like railway stations, and sell them to recyclers. When schools reopen, they go to school again. Most of them leave school at high school level, and join the workforce,"said a teashop owner in Mandalay. Youths of 15 and above sell betel nut packets and water at bus stops or work as daily earners. “The real human resource of a country is the people who join the workforce. The workforce can be divided into manual labor and intellectual labor. In our country, there are more manual laborers than intellectuals. At present, the income of a graduate is almost the same as manual laborers. So priority is not given to education. This is also concerned with the economy of the country. However, there will be job opportunities when the ASEAN free trade area began to take effect in 2015. So, we are conducting courses aiming at the future job opportunities. Intellectual workers are more important than manual laborers for the development of the country,” said Training Director U Myo Min Oo of the Western Management Center. “We have programs for community based informal learning for dropouts and for early childhood development. However, we place emphasis on community based informal learning for school dropouts between the ages of 10 and 17. We see more youths joining the workforce instead of learning at schools,” said a teacher from Pyinnya Tazaung.