Our school was built on the Burmese monastic tradition of providing young persons with literacy skills and a moral foundation to equip them to contribute meaningfully to their society. Our school’s innovative pedagogy, the Child-Centered Approach, focuses on teaching students critical thinking skills and helping them to become active citizens.
Phaung Daw Oo School is one of the leading institutions in Myanmar in reshaping and transforming the education system. Conventional teaching methodology in Myanmar focuses on rote learning and memorization. As such, The Ven. U Nayaka, Phaung Daw Oo School’s founder and principal, sought to instill critical thinking in the curriculum at Phaung Daw Oo with the Child-Centered Approach. Under this approach, teachers use various student-led activities such as in-class discussions, debate tournaments, student presentations and lectures. Phaung Daw Oo teachers are trained to incorporate the child-centered approach into all activities in and outside the classroom.
This approach was first incorporated in the Fast-Track Program and the New Teacher Training Program. For the Mainstream Department, starting in the 2019-2020 academic year, this approach is currently used in English language instruction, with plans to expand to other subjects in future academic years.
The Child-Centered Approach has received national and international recognition. In 2017, our principal The Ven. U Nayaka received the Citizen of Burma Award for the implementation of the Child-Centered Approach and his innovative work at Phaung Daw Oo School and tireless efforts to improve Myanmar’s monastic education system as a whole.