K'Cho Land

Welcome To KChoKhaw

 The Land is named by KCho People as KChoKhaw which means KChoLand (the land of the Kcho people of Southern Chin State of Western Burma). The chin people who are particularly living in Mindat & Kanpetlet Townships of Southern Chin State are called K'Cho. 

Geographical Description of K'Cho Land 

The K'Cho land is the area of Mindat and Kanpetlet townships.Mindat and Kanpetlet townships are in southern Chin State bordering with Thilin,Kyawk-htu, and Saw township of Yaw Valley in the east. Paletwa township in the West, Matupi township in the North, and Minpya township of Rakhine State in the South.

The land of K'Cho people is mountainous as it is part of the western mountain ranges of Myanmar. Khawnu or Victoria peak, one of the tourist attractions for hiking , bird seeing, observing of various rare birds and orchid species, is the highest point in Chin State. Vast stretches of mountains are still covered with virgin forest teeming with a wide variety of native orchids and flowers, rare species of birds in the world. But forest from large areas of the region has depleted or degraded due to the practice of subsistence shifting cultivation locally called Taungya, a common farming for the daily food of local people.There are big forests left only in the area of Khawnu National park strictly restricted to cut the trees for no reason.
 Economic condition of K'Cho 

Generally, Chin State is one of the most remote, mountainous, land least developed regions inhabited by indigenous hill tribes of Myanmar. Especially, the people of southern Chin State are the poorest among Chin people in terms of their material possession and intellectual level. The northern Chins, compared to their southern brothers, are generally better off by deeply penetrating into the business world as well as educational circles. Extreme poverty has crippled these people in all aspects of life, even the struggle for survival in today's globalized and competitive world. The needs of these people are so profound and numerous that help in greater volume and scope is yet required. Among some of the emergency needs for the people are improving healthcare, raising educational level of the people, and documenting fast-dwindling local culture and language.

Education Background of Local K'Cho

Education is the key for a community to open the door to development. Without proper educatinal foundation, other forms of development hardly will occur. Even well intended development programme for the community in the end will become difficult to be sustained. Government primary schools are located within easy access for most villages. However, there are numerous untold difficulties. Economic conditins of the family often intervene and many children, especially girls than boys are forced to help family in the fields or drop from school altogether before completion of elementary educatin. In most village schools, teachers show up and teach only a couple of months within the entire school year. It's not the fault of teachers that many of them are coerced to engage in some form of business their teaching job just to keep their family afloat. Consequently, overall educational level of the local children is far below the expected and reported level. The elementary students are not supported by the Government for their academic year. They have to pay for everything on their own within the entire school year. Mostly, the students have not got their Text Books in hand for their class untill half of the academic year.

Education higher than elementary becomes difficult for children from most village communities. The greater percentage of children from villages do not make to middle school level due maily to economic reasons of the family. Children need to stay in other villages where middle school is located carrying their own food supply, which most family cannot afforded since just a few middle schools are located in villages in the area.

Extremely low number of children from villages affords High School level education, which is available only in town. Lodging, food educatinal and other costs for their children are beyond the capacity of poor hill-field farmers. Some religious groups are trying to help by arranging food and accommodation of children from villages attending High school in Mindat.

College education becomes even more difficult for most children both from town and villages. Only some K'Cho young people who have passed high school level are able to continue to acquire college education exclusively through Correspondence. There is no full time college student from the area. The students who get a degree through Correspondence from University of Distence Education,Myanmar do not have a chance to get government jobs, especially for those Mountain people from Kachin, Kayin, Chin, Mon etc.

Ministry for Progress of Border Areas and National Races and Development Affair opened fully funded government centers to allow free accommodation, food, and stipend for other costs for the local children attending both high school and college level. Moreover, children from these government centers are assured employment in government jobs. However, religious discremination at the centers, under the supervision of Buddhist Missionary monasteries, makes it difficult or inaccessible for non-Buddhist children, who are the majority in the region.

English language and computer knowledge is far beyond the dream of K'Cho young people because training in these fields is available only in cities like Yangon and Mandalay. Vocational trainings (not governmental but private) such as handicraft, carpentry, sewing and weaving are rarely available in the local and some youngpeople can't afford to attend the trainings as they are mostly struggling for their daily food.