Teashops or classrooms? In Mandalay and Yangon, some can be both under a social project to address underage labour in Myanmar.
Some Telenor-branded teashops are now turned into mobile classrooms under the project jointly conducted by Telenor Myanmar and Myanmar Mobile Education project, myME.
Starting on November 2 last year, a 1-year pilot project - that includes a mobile classroom bus - sets out to provide education to some 200 children. Each child is offered six hours of lessons per week.
In a phone interview from Yangon, Petter Furberg, chief executive officer of Telenor, noted that the project produces a big impact on children.
"Mostly, they are drop-outs, coming from very poor families. They have limited chance to get more education," he said.
In doing so, the Norwegian company follows the International Labour Organisation (ILO) conventions for child labour, dictating a minimum of 18 years of age for hazardous work, 15 years as minimum age and 13 years for light work, as long as it neither threatens health and safety nor hinders education or vocational training. In Myanmar, the law allows 13-year olds to enter the workforce.
Teashop owners who carry the Telenor branding or sell SIM cards are obliged to sign a contractual agreement to commit to not hiring workers under Myanmar's legal employment age and to provide young workers from 13-16 with access to non-formal education.
The contract also stipulates that random spot checks can be carried out to check working and living conditions of the young employees. In return, the teashop owners get a face-lift of their premises, workers with improved skills and ambition, and option to add to income by becoming a Telenor sales outlet.
Classroom has been opened at 10 teashops in Yangon and six in Mandalay. myME also has 3 mobile classrooms which are old buses converted into a learning environment. One mobile classroom, along with the teachers, volunteers, and study materials, is capable of delivering lessons to 60 students at the same time: one class being held inside the bus, one outside the bus, and one class inside the teashop.
Like the study at teashops, the buses will provide teaching to some 20 students - picked up from teashops - at a time.
The non-formal education provided to the children aged between 13-16 is broken in two levels.
In addition to the opportunity to learn basic literacy, math and computer skills in a safe environment, the young students will also be taught life skills such as gaining self-confidence, developing analytical thinking skills through interactive instruction, as well basic knowledge of personal hygiene and understanding of preventable diseases. According Furberg, computer training is also part of it. In this regard, Telenor will provide connectivity to the mobile classrooms and technological solutions to assist in increasing future vocational options.
"We give them pre-vocational training, so that we're able to support them to get jobs later," Furberg said.
Launching the project, Tim Aye-Hardy, the founder of myME, said: "The issue of underage labour in Myanmar is quite complex and challenging, particularly as the practice is culturally accepted. The myME project alone cannot eradicate the issue but through our partnership with Telenor and its support, we can together expand the existing programme to enrol hundreds of new students from various teashops around the country. We need more partners and supporters like Telenor, whose own ethics and principles are comparable to ours, to effectively address the issue of underage labour and access to quality education for these children."
Once the project expands, over 850 young workers will receive non-formal education in the areas where Telenor has mobile coverage and branded outlets. This would include youngsters from other surrounding communities who also want to join the lessons.
While saying that the project has won great response, Furberg admitted that spot checks showed that some shops do not fully cooperate and they are terminated.
"We believe strongly to get better response. It's a unique concept, being a win-win choice for children and teashop owners," he said. "We have received good response. For us, it's important. We want to ensure that they don't hire children under 13 years old while the living condition of children should be improved.
He noted that this is just a pilot project and the company needs to learn how to improve it to be more practical and efficient.
"It will be going on for many years until no more children work in tea shops," he said. "We look at ways to be sustainable, in how to do business. It's not just PR. It's technological contribution in Myanmar," he said.
Children, mother and healthcare has been the highlight of Telenor Myanmar's corporate social responsibility. Aside from the mobile classroom project, Telenor in November also opened the first Community Information Centre (CiC), under the community computer scheme. In cooperation with Myanmar Information Development Organisation (MIDO), 200 CiCs will be opened in Myanmar to teach computer and internet to some 1,000 children.