There has been a notable lack of applicants for Teaching Assistant (TA) and Language Teacher (LT) positions aimed at teaching indigenous languages in Mon State’s basic education schools for the upcoming 2025-2026 academic year.
Applications for these positions have been available since June 11 from the Department of Indigenous Language and Culture. Despite the application deadline extending to the second week of October, there have been no submissions so far, according to a source close to the Township Education Office.
“Not only are there no new applicants for TA/LT positions, but about four individuals have recently resigned. TAs are given full classroom responsibilities and are also required to teach various other subjects. Despite working full days, their salaries and benefits are not on par with those of government-appointed teachers. Initially, they applied to teach the Mon language, but now they are also handling other subjects and administrative tasks,” he said.
Similar to TAs, LT teachers must teach the relevant indigenous language for at least five hours a week. However, due to the inadequate benefits compared to government school teachers, there are few applicants and many resignations.
In Kyaikmaraw Township, out of 28 schools teaching the Mon language, four have had to suspend indigenous language classes due to the high resignation rate among teachers, according to a responsible teacher from the township.
For the 2023-2024 academic year, over 20 applicants from Kyaikmaraw Township applied for TA/LT positions, but currently, there are no new applicants. The situation is similar in Mudon and Chaungzon Townships, where the number of applicants remains low, according to officials from the Education Department.
Officially appointed TAs receive a monthly salary of around 130,000 kyats, including additional support, while LTs receive 60,000 kyats per month.
Mon State has eight townships where Mon and Karen languages are taught, and four townships where the Pa-O language is taught.
According to the State Education Office, in the previous academic year, there were approximately 270 schools teaching Mon, 273 schools teaching Karen, and 30 schools teaching Pa-O.
