English Proficiency Course: Aiming to provide better services to visitors

The closing ceremony of English Language (Basic & Intermediate) Course was held at the ancient Buddha statue’s prayer hall on Friday. This training course was conducted with the aims to enhance capacity building of the staffs in English proficiency skill and to turn out proficient tour guides for welcoming foreigners.

At the opening ceremony, a member of treasurer’s board of trustees gave remarks upon the English Speaking course. And then, the trainers and trainees reported the guest welcoming areas on the pagoda with power point presentation and the instructor explained the teaching methods during the training period. Later, cash rewards were presented to 1st, 2nd and 3rd winners respectively and the conclusion certificates to the trainers and trainees.

Member of Treasurer’s Board of Trustees, Thein Htut Maung said "There are arrivals of foreigners at Shwedagon Pagoda and we need to welcome them. State-level guests are welcomed by member of the Pagoda Board of Trustees and other guests are welcomed by the usher group. Previously, there was a foreigner ushering group but some retired and some left for work due to various reasons. So, it needs to reorganize a new ushering group. "

Among the staffs, 21 employees who are qualified and interested in welcoming guests were selected to join this training course and the Basic English course was conducted for the trainers from 1st September to 31st November. After 4 skills tests, 14 trainees passed the Intermediate course.

Host, Shwedagon Pagoda Welcoming Group, Zwe Win Pyae said “I have been working here since 2014 till right now.….There is so many advantages from attending the English course. In my point of view, English is very important because this is the only way that we can communicate with other nationalities. We have to keep in touch with it every day. I’m gonna try the best in the future as well.”

Through the course, the traineeslearned about the background history and detailed structure, symbolic features of Shwedagon pagoda and its Buddha statues and other edifices such as prayer halls, auspicious ground of the monument(wish fulfilling area), King Sintgu and Thayawady Bells and other religious buildings to improve their English proficiency skills for ushering foreign visitors paying a visit to the pagoda.