Wiping tears of monks with more pass figures

Mon 28 Jul 2008, IMNA
The Burmese military junta deliberately delayed announcing the results of the examinations held for monks afraid that monks may regroup in the largest city Rangoon, alleged a leader of monks.

Annually the military regime announces the results before the Buddhist Lent, but it announced the results on July 25 after monk students' entered the lent.

"We checked the answer sheets a long time ago. We were waiting for the order to announce the results," a senior monk employee in Kaba Aye Hill told IMNA.

Although fewer monk students sat for the examinations in the 2007-2008 academic year because of the demonstration by monks last September, the numbers of monks passing the examination was double compared to past years.

According to senior monks, around 300 to 400 monks finished the thirds level of Dhamma Sariya in earlier years, but government stated that 856 monks achieved the level this year.

"About 12 monks passed the examinations. While it was less than in the past years, in Kyet Khart Wine there were 46 passes," an abbot from Rangoon told IMNA.

Some abbots said that the military government, which had cracked down on peaceful demonstration by monks last September 2007, is trying to appease the monks with good results.

Following the September crackdown, the number of student monks enrolling to study in Rangoon dropped to 25% claimed abbots in Rangoon.

Due to the delay in announcing the result, student monks are facing difficulty in moving to other monasteries which are teaching Buddha scriptures because they are in the lent period.