The Government of Japan, under its Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGP) Scheme, has granted US $397,003 for

1) The Project for Construction of No.13 Popebar Yone Monastic Post Primary School in Pakokku Township, Magway Region (US $210,912) ;
2) The Project for Construction of No.5 Nunnery Middle School in Pakokku Township, Magway Region (US $186,091) ;

The handover ceremonies of two schools for the above projects took place in Pakokku Townships in Magway Region on 26 September 2019. Mr. Hiroyuki Oishi, Second Secretary of the Embassy of Japan, U Mya Min Swe, Magway Region Amyotha Hluttaw elected representative for Constituency No.9, chairpersons and members of the school construction committees and local residents attended the ceremonies.

At No.13 Popebar Yone Monastic Post Primary School, they did not have enough classrooms to accommodate all the students, so the Monastery shared their facilities with the school to manage the situation. However, the problem was not only the space, but also the quality of the rooms which were not appropriate for students to learn. The structure of the facilities were not resistant to heat and heavy rain. In order to provide better educational environment, the Government of Japan funded for the construction of a two-story reinforced concrete building with ten classrooms and full furniture. The project will benefit more than 300 students and teachers in the school.

Similarly, No.5 Nunnery Middle School has been making great effort to provide education to the children in need of assistance. Although the community had built classrooms with their own contribution, the conditions of the classrooms were poor and the students suffered from leaky roof and had to study in the classrooms without proper walls. In order to secure a safe learning environment, the Government of Japan provided assistance for the construction of a two-story reinforced concrete building with ten classrooms and full furniture. The project will benefit more than 550 students and teachers in the school.

The Government of Japan has assisted 904 grass-roots projects, including 467 education projects, 200 healthcare projects, 140 public welfare and environment projects, 61 infrastructure projects and 36 others in Myanmar under the GGP scheme since 1993. This assistance is expected to further strengthen the existing friendly relations between Japan and Myanmar.