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Education PEDU Summer Courses

PEDU Successfully Concludes Digital Literacy & Building Minimum Viable Products Summer Course (2025) with Grand Graduation Ceremony

Taung Galay, Karen State – May 25, 2025

The Phlon Education Development Unit (PEDU) proudly celebrated the completion of its intensive “Digital Literacy and Building Minimum Viable Products (MVP)” summer course with a vibrant graduation ceremony at Anusasanee Meditation Hall, Taung Galay Pariyatti Paṭipatti Śāsana Vihāra.

Distinguished Attendees

The event was honored by the presence of:

  • Head monks from neighboring villages
  • Elders of Taung Galay (ဖၠုံပညာ့တွါန့်) community
  • PEDU Youth Network members
  • 12-Seasons Karen Traditional Don Dance Group
  • Teachers from Taung Galay Monastic School
  • Young novices and nuns of the monastery

The ceremony commenced with an inspirational address by Program Director and Principal (Sayadaw) Ashin Uttama, who emphasized the transformative power of digital skills and innovation for community development.

Project Showcase: Turning Ideas into Reality

Over 41 days (80+ both lecture and project hours), participants engaged in rigorous theoretical and hands-on learning, culminating in eight impactful projects:

  1. Project PEDU – Community education initiatives
  2. Project Blood Donation – Awareness campaigns for life-saving donations in collaboration with PEDU Jivita Blood Donation Team 
  3. Project East Pwo Karen – Digital preservation of indigenous language and literature
  4. Project Dish Detergent – Eco-friendly cleaning solutions
  5. Project Hydroponics – Solar-powered sustainable farming
  6. Project Book Archive – Digitizing the books written by Dr. Ashin Pin Nya Tha Mi, head of Patrons, (Chief Sayadaw) on https://books.mahar.asia

Each team presented their Minimum Viable Product (MVP), demonstrating problem-solving skills and technical proficiency gained through the training.

Certification and Celebrations

Participants received completion certificates, recognizing their dedication to mastering:

  • Digital literacy fundamentals (hardware, internet safety, AI basics)
  • Intermediate skills (website development, language-learning apps)
  • Advanced applications (freelancing, online research, MVP creation)

After the award-giving ceremony, guests enjoyed a communal meal.

Special Appreciation

We extend our deepest appreciation to all honored guests for your presence and encouragement, to the PEDU Channel – ဖလုံပညာ့ for live broadcasting this milestone, and to every volunteer, supporter, and well-wisher who contributed to the success of this event. The photo booth at the entrance of the venue was adorned with elegant floral arrangements, generously sponsored by Hpa-an Floral by Lu Ku, one of the alumni of the Taunggaly monastic school. Your collective efforts embody the spirit of community and progress that PEDU stands for.

A Vision for the Future

This program aligns with PEDU’s mission to bridge the digital divide and empower communities through education. As Sayadaw Uttama noted, “These skills are seeds for a self-reliant future, where technology meets tradition.”

Follow PEDU’s initiatives on Mahar.asia!

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Education PEDU Summer Courses နွေရာသီအထူးသင်တန်း

Invitation to the Summer Course Completion Ceremony

Digital Literacy & Building Minimum Viable Products (MVP) (2025) conducted by Phlon Education Development Unit (PEDU)

We are honored to invite you to attend the graduation ceremony of the Digital Literacy and Building Minimum Viable Products (2025) summer course, which will be held according to the following schedule. Your presence and encouragement would be greatly appreciated.

Event Details
  • Time: 1:00 PM
  • Date: 25th May 2025 (Sunday)
  • Venue: Anusasanee Meditation Hall, Taung Galay Pariyatti Paṭipatti Śāsana Vihāra

Join us in celebrating the achievements of our participants!

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Education PEDU Summer Courses Technology

Taung Galay Monastery Hosts Hydroponics Workshop for Young Monastics

Hpa-an Township, Karen State

As part of the Digital Literacy and Building Minimum Viable Products (MVP) 2025 summer program organized by PEDU, a hands-on Hydroponics Farming Workshop was conducted at Taung Galay Monastery in Taung Galay village. The session was co-instructed by Saw Yair Min Sein, who played a key role in guiding participants through the practical assembly of hydroponic systems.

Saw Yair Min Sein demonstrating PVC rack assembly.
– Collaborative construction of a circulating hydroponic system.
– Novices assembling hydroponic systems using recycled materials.

Focusing on sustainable agriculture, the workshop introduced young monastics to soil-less farming techniques. Saw Yair Min Sein, with his technical expertise, assisted learners in constructing PVC-based hydroponic racks and setting up automated solution circulation using electronic timers. Under his guidance, novice monks and nuns learned how to maintain proper nutrient flow and optimize growing conditions for plants.

The workshop emphasized practical skills; from measuring PVC pipes to programming irrigation cycles, enabling participants to replicate these systems in their communities. By the end of the session, each attendee had contributed to building a functional hydroponic setup, fostering teamwork and innovation.

This initiative reflects PEDU’s commitment to blending traditional education with modern sustainability practices, equipping young learners with skills for self-reliance. The Digital Literacy and MVP 2025 program continues to foster innovation at Taung Galay Monastery, bridging agriculture, technology, and community development. Future workshops will further explore agricultural technology—stay tuned for updates!

— Reported by Mahar Pyinnyar, Hpa-an Township

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Education PEDU Summer Courses Technology

Taung Galay Monastery Hosts Digital Design Workshop for Young Monastics

Hpa-an Township, Karen State

As part of the Digital Literacy and Building Minimum Viable Products (MVP) 2025 summer program organized by PEDU, a special workshop on Design Theory and Introduction to Canva was held at Taung Galay Monastery in Taung Galay village. The session was led by guest speaker Naw Ywa Phod Lei, a local expert from the village, who introduced young monastics to the fundamentals of graphic design and practical tools for digital creativity.

The workshop aimed to equip participants with essential skills in visual communication, an increasingly valuable asset in today’s digital world. Naw Ywa Phod Lei guided the attendees through the basics of design principles, such as layout, color theory, and typography, before transitioning into a hands-on Canva tutorial. The students, primarily novice monks and nuns, enthusiastically practiced creating social media graphics, posters, and simple logos under her instruction.

This session aligns with PEDU’s broader mission to bridge traditional monastic education with modern digital tools, empowering young learners with skills for both personal expression and potential income-generating opportunities. The interactive workshop encouraged creativity, with many participants showcasing their first-ever digital designs by the end of the day.

Workshop Highlights

The Digital Literacy and MVP 2025 program continues to foster innovation at Taung Galay Monastery, combining technology, entrepreneurship, and local expertise. Stay tuned for more updates on upcoming sessions!

— Reported by Mahar Pyinnyar, Hpa-an Township

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Education PEDU Summer Courses

Taung Galay Monastery Hosts Workshop on DIY Dish Detergent as Part of Digital Literacy Summer Class

Hpa-an Township, Karen State – As part of the Digital Literacy and Minimum Viable Product (MVP) 2025 summer class organized by PEDU (Phlon Education Development Unit), a special hands-on workshop was held at Taung Galay Monastery in Taung Galay village. The session, led by guest speaker Daw Nan Khin Thet Mar Win, a local expert from the village, taught young novices and nuns how to make their own eco-friendly dish detergent.

The workshop aimed to combine practical life skills with the broader goals of the digital literacy program, which focuses on empowering students with both technological and entrepreneurial knowledge. Daw Nan Khin Thet Mar Win guided the participants through the step-by-step process of mixing natural ingredients to create an effective, low-cost detergent—a skill that can be useful for both personal use and potential small-scale business opportunities.

Most of the attendees were young monastics, who enthusiastically engaged in the activity, asking questions and taking notes. The session not only provided them with a new skill but also encouraged sustainability and self-reliance.

The Digital Literacy and MVP 2025 class, conducted by PEDU at Taung Galay Monastery, continues to offer innovative learning experiences, bridging traditional education with modern digital and entrepreneurial skills.

Below are some highlights from the workshop:

This initiative reflects the community’s commitment to holistic education, blending technology, sustainability, and local wisdom. Stay tuned for more updates on upcoming sessions in the program!

— Reporting by Mahar Pyinnyar, Hpa-an Township, the Karen State

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Politics Religion

PM Lawrence Wong at the Press Conference on MHA Statement (Apr 2025)

Disclaimer: The following is a repost of the official speech by Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, as delivered on 26 April 2025. The views expressed are solely those of the Prime Minister and do not necessarily reflect the editorial stance of Mahar Pyinnyar. We present this statement in the interest of public discourse and transparency.

Opening remarks by Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Lawrence Wong at the press conference on the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) statement on 26 April 2025.

My fellow Singaporeans and
Members of the media

I am calling this press conference in the middle of the campaign as Prime Minister because it concerns a matter of national interest.

You would have seen MHA’s press statement last night.

As Prime Minister, I cannot emphasise this enough – Singapore’s greatest strength is our unity across race and religion.

It is the bedrock of our multi-racial and multi-religious society.

And this is not accidental – it is the result of painstaking hard work and patient effort by generations of Singaporeans.

In the past few days, we have detected online activity by foreign actors urging Singaporeans to vote along religious lines – they say “Vote for so-and-so because he or she will better represent a particular race or religion”.

These foreigners targeted Singaporeans; and their social media posts were also widely shared within the Singaporean community.

That crosses the line.

Singaporeans may have different views about issues.

But we cannot allow external actors to exploit whatever differences we may have to weaken us, or to advance their own interests.

Singapore’s politics must be for Singaporeans alone to decide.

And so, we have blocked access to these posts.

And we will continue to act firmly against any such actions.

Foreign influence is one side of the coin. There are also other posts circulating online, attempting to bring race and religion into politics. One example is a recent social media post by a Singaporean activist proposing that Muslims should vote for candidates that are willing to advance his religious agenda.

These messages may be by Singaporeans, but we should also reject them. And were a Christian, Hindu or Buddhist group making the same demand, our response would be the same: mixing politics with religion is unacceptable in Singapore.

We have always taken a firm stance against this.

First, it fractures the common space we share as Singaporeans.

Second, once elections become contests of faith, all communities in our society will end up worse off.

Third, external powers will seek to exploit these fault-lines to advance their own agendas. And as we have already seen, these challenges and threats are very real.

Now, this does not mean that we cannot engage and address the needs of our different communities or even talk about race and religion.

I, myself make a point to engage these different communities.

I know it is harder for our minority groups; as it is in any multi-racial society. And I am grateful for their efforts in upholding our social compact in Singapore.

The engagements I do, help us, help the government to better understand the concerns and needs of our diverse communities.

So that we can address concerns and issues in a way that expands our common ground and strengthens our society.

But such engagements are very different from identity politics, which we should firmly reject.

What is identity politics? Identity politics means candidates and MPs appealing for support on the basis of race or religion and championing the interests of that particular group over other groups and over everything else.

That is dangerous, because when one group jostles aggressively to assert its identity, others will organise and start to jostle back.

And you can see how this plays out in countries everywhere. You end up fuelling our worst tendencies – hostility and vengefulness across society.

No one wins when this happens – the minority groups will fail to get what they want because the majority group will push back strongly, and the minorities will find their space constricted. At the same time, the majority group will also live in the most unhappy society, where every issue comes down to race and religion.

So no one is happy, no one wins. And in the end, we will be more divided than before. And Singaporeans – all of us – will pay the price.

So I call on all political parties to make their positions clear on this matter. This is not a partisan or party matter. This is a matter of national importance.

In particular, I invite the leaders of all political parties to make their stand clear, not just on foreign interference, but on two fundamental principles:

First, that identity politics has no place in Singapore.

Second, that we should never mix religion and politics.

At the end of the day, whatever our differences, we are all Singaporeans first and foremost. I thank Singaporeans of all races and religions for having supported this multi-racial and multi-religious approach all this while, which has enabled us to build a successful and harmonious Singapore. I am confident that even now, the majority of Singaporeans across all racial groups support this approach. I ask Singaporeans to continue doing so. Then we can protect this oasis of peace and sustain our exceptional harmony for many more years to come.

Sources: Wong, L. (2025, April 26). PM Lawrence Wong at the press conference on MHA Statement (Apr 2025). Prime Minister’s Office Singapore. Retrieved May 13, 2025, from https://www.pmo.gov.sg/Newsroom/PM-Lawrence-Wong-at-the-Press-Conference-on-MHA-Statement-April-2025

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