The opening of the second PASCH school in Myanmar

The Goethe-Institut Myanmar and Taunggyi International School celebrated the signing of the PASCH agreement on Tuesday, October 15, 2019.

The fact that the second PASCH school is located in Taungyyi, in eastern Myanmar, is also - according to the head of language department of the Goethe-Institut Myanmar, Dr. Suzan Radwan - "a positive signal to the outside world that the Goethe-Institut welcomes and actively supports the introduction of DaF at the national level.

German classes at Taunggyi International School started in 2018 with 62 students. The first year of German will be rounded off by the "FIT in German 1" examinations in January 2020.

The highlight of the event was the signing of the PASCH agreement between Dr. Wälde, Director of the Goethe-Institut Myanmar, and Mr. Mohan Aiyer, Director of the school. With the subsequent presentation of the PASCH plaque, it was sealed that the school is now officially accepted into the worldwide PASCH network. 

In their speeches, both Mr. Aiyer and Dr. Wälde emphasized the importance of this great day, which made Taunggyi International School the second PASCH school in Myanmar. Mr. Aiyer praised the cooperation with the Goethe-Institut and underlined that the German language is also of great importance for other locations of the school.

The event was accompanied by the German students of the school, who had been looking forward to the event for a long time and had prepared it with great commitment. Three students in Dirndls offered a rap with German lyrics, the younger ones various German poems, and yet others delighted the audience with a Bavarian folk dance in "Lederhosen" and Dirndls.

Pupils from primary school levels 4 and 5 received especially great applause. With the help of their teacher, they had written and composed a PASCH song entitled "Wir sind PASCH". The children wore matching T-shirts for the performance. The rehearsed choreography and lyrics impressed everyone in the audience.

The First Secretary and Consul in Yangon, Mr. Frank Thierfelder, the Director of Language Programmes South East Asia/Australia/New Zealand, Mrs. Sonja Stoll, as well as the PASCH coordinator of the Goethe-Institut Myanmar, Mrs. Petra Kühl, were enthusiastic about the manifold performances of the German learners.

A German-Myanmar buffet with a delicious "German" cake was the wonderful conclusion of an all-round successful celebration.