Synopsis
When the Paungdaw Oo monastic school was founded near Mandalay in 1993 the aim was to provide orphans and children from disadvantaged families with a decent education. Fifteen years later, the school has swelled to 7200 pupils and is a resounding success not least on account of its inspired, child-centred approach to teaching (known as CCA) as well as the integral role played by teachers, parents and income-generating vocational training programmes.
In this lively portrait, the school's abbot and several of Paungdaw Oo's teachers – many of whom were once pupils there themselves – talk about the school's CCA concept, the astonishing benefits of encouraging children to think for themselves, and how these methods can be a model for schools across Myanmar.
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Credits
Director: Shin Daewe
Camera: Thu Thu Shein
Sound: Hnin Ei Hlaing
Editor: Myo Min Khin
Categories
Documentary, Society, Arts & Culture, Children, Ethnic Diversity, Peace
Technical Details
Duration: 15‘23‘‘
16:9 Letterbox
System: PAL
Stereo
English Subtitles
2009
Copyright
Yangon Film Services & Pyoe Pin
Director's Biography
Born in 1973, Shin Daewe began her film career as an assistant producer at the Yangon firm AV Media. She joined YFS in 2006 where she attended several courses and created a number of NGO-commissioned films for the School’s production arm, including the award-winning film A Better Future about child-centred teaching, An Uninvited Guest about tuberculosis treatments and Beyond the Tsunami (for Metta Development Foundation). Her own copious documentary projects include The Robe, On Holiday and a lively portrait of the Burmese painter Rahula, An Untitled Life, which has screened to acclaim at numerous film festivals around the world, as has Now I am Thirteen, about a young girl living in Myanmar’s dry zone. Her 2013 work about refugee camps in Kachin, Take Me Home, won Best Documentary Award at the 2013 Wathann Film Festival.
Awards & Nominations
January, 2013
Screenings
Director's Filmography
Director
17‘0‘‘
Director
15‘0‘‘
Director
20‘0‘‘
Director
7‘0‘‘
Director
15‘23‘‘
Director/Editor
22‘8‘‘
Director
20‘50‘‘
Director
13‘49‘‘
