The Australia Mon Association Incorporated has opened weekly Mon Community Bilingual Classes in Canberra, the capital city of Australia.

The Mon office, under a funding of the Adult Community Grant by the local government, initiated the class to improve English language skills for the community, especially women who had limited knowledge of the English language prior to their settlement in Australia.

“This is the best opportunity for all Mon people in Canberra to be able to use valuable time and energy with volunteer tutors.  We should be proud of ourselves that we were selected by the ACT Government to receive the grant and open this programme,” Nai Pe Thein Zar, a senior advisor of the Mon community in Australia said at the opening day on March 29.

Australia Mon Association leaders Nai Din Pla Hongsa, Nai Siri Mon Chan and Nai Kwae Mon will be volunteer tutors and Mehm Cheak Gakao is coordinating the project with the support of Mon office staff who proposed the project to the Department of Education under Adult Community Education Programme.

The programme, that will benefit 16 adult students from intermediate to upper intermediate level, will run for 100 hours every Sunday at the Mon office building, Theo Notaras Multicultural Centre, Canberra City.