Leadership, organization, and history. The Naga Self-Administered Zone in the far north of Sagaing Region on the border with India provides examples of the disadvantages of using Burmese as the only medium of instruction. Abstract Myanmar's education system is in a very weakened state. Describes the findings of a national education sector study, and stresses the importance of regional networks and educational partnerships. Achieving these objectives would require a sharp increase in funding for education. The educational system of Myanmar (also known as Burma) is operated by the government Ministry of Education. Stay on top of Myanmar current affairs with our Daily Briefing and Media Monitor newsletters, Our fortnightly magazine is available in print, digital, or a combination beginning at $80 a year, Sign up for our Frontier Fridays newsletter. Myanmar education also provides engineering studies that lasts for 5 to 6 years while medicine for 6 and a half years. A key difference in Myanmar is the way the associations are run. “This needs to be reviewed.”. For example, in a test marked out of 10, students are expected to score at least seven. Lunch is not provided so students have to bring a gyaint (tiffin carrier). Kyaw Lin Htoon is a Yangon-based journalist. Except for a small minority of children who attend private or international schools in Yangon, Mandalay or Nay Pyi Taw, most youngsters are educated in the government system. For example, in order to be accepted to study medicine, a girl must score at least 504, while a boy only needs to score 488. As a further sup… Primary Education In Myanmar once also known as Burma decades of political conflict have reduced a once-proud education system to one that is lagging sadly. Other subjects where this applies include dental and nursing. Education specialists agree that the curriculum is badly in need of reform and would also benefit from the introduction of modern teaching methods and technology. Discusses the need to use disaggregated data in examining Myanmar education because national figures may mask regional differences that are crucial to the planning process. Progress and Completion in Education. Distance learning degrees are also available for additional 5 years of studies. He previously worked at Myanmar Now, Mawkun and Myanmar Business Today. Myanmar education system Education has traditionally always been of great importance in Myanmar society. Toggle navigation. Browse by country. Myanmar’s education reform began in 2011 when the country’s government system changed from a military government to a democracy. They say more awareness is needed to address the issue in Myanmar, where culturally and traditionally, beating is considered to be an effective way of dealing with rowdy students. Teachers who have big classes often believe they need to hit students to maintain control. Ma Nang K Thwe believes that more needs to be done to teach the history of the country’s ethnic minorities in public schools. Who we are. 1.1 The current basic education system in Myanmar comprises six years of primary (Grade 1 to Grade 6), three years of lower secondary (Grade 7 to Grade 9) and two years of upper secondary (Grade 10 and Grade 11) education. A complementary approach in education is to develop a healthy moral mind in a healthy active body. Learning by-heart was practiced for many years and was even dubbed as a “Parrot learning” system. But there are 150 universities and colleges that are divided into 14 divisions and states. Myanmar has made upgrading the national education system a priority, and UNICEF supports the Government to implement the National Education Strategic Plan 2016–2021, together with other partners. The use of corporal punishment appears to have declined slightly, but many former students speak of receiving beatings from kindergarten to high school. Thet Zin Soe 06 Jan 2021 The Myanmar government wants to restructure and raise investments in the existing education system over the next five years so that it remains compatible with modern day requirements, State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi said in her New Year speech. Sign up to be a Frontier member. “Except Myanmar, nearly all other ASEAN countries have made changes to this KG +12 System,” he added. The national education system in Myanmar needs to undergo a … Discussions about the education system in Myanmar often tend to be dominated by the curriculum. Some private school teachers said they would like to see some of the subjects taught in Myanmar schools updated. WHEN THE rainy season arrives every June, parents and children begin preparing for the start of a new school year. Education and Literacy. The rich get richer: Imagining Yangon in 2025 as a city of haves and have nots, ‘A country of immense potential’: Despite challenges, Myanmar capable of ‘tremendous change’, student writes, Christmas, disrupted: COVID-19 moves worship online, USDP lawsuits target teachers who risked it all. There are currently 47, 365 basic education schools in Myanmar with approximately 9.26 million students. ... Evidence-based research is a crucial part of ensuring that the education system is boosted in the right ways. Students who pass their matriculation can face disappointment if they fail to gain admission to the university of their choice. Now, the new government of Myanmar has also made education reform a national priority. It is understood that parents can secure admission to such schools by paying a “donation” ranging from K100,000 to K1 million. Every morning after the assembly to sing the national anthem, the Buddhist students recite a prayer and teachers tell students of other faiths to be still and say their prayers in silence. Myanmar - Myanmar - Government and society: Myanmar’s first constitution came into force on Jan. 4, 1974, the 26th anniversary of the country’s independence, and was suspended following a military coup on Sept. 18, 1988. In Yangon, it’s common to see food stalls – many of them selling deep-fried snacks – outside school gates. They have to sit and listen to what the teachers say. Each government school has an association of parents and teachers, similar to those in many other countries. In Ayeyawady Division, there are 12 universities and colleges; 9 in Bago division; 1 in Chin State; 8 in Kachin State; 3 in kayah State; 4 in Kayin State; 14 in Magway division; 32 in Mandalay division; 5 in Mon state; 4 in Rakhine state; 12 in sagaing division; 12 in Shan state; 7 in Taninthayi division; and 34 in Yangon division including the yangon University. Some 3.5m adults over the age of 15 are thought to be illiterate. (Nyein Su Wai Kyaw Soe | Frontier), “I think the topics in the textbooks of the current curriculum are quite old, and don’t really fit with the modern days,” said one private school teacher in Yangon. The Education Reconstruction Committee of 1947 decided that Myanmar needed a homogeneous system of schools and that the education system had to be state provided and state controlled (Lwin 2000:5). Education System . Myanmar to further restructure, invest in education system January 8, 2021 by Thiha The Myanmar government wants to restructure and raise investments in the existing education system over the next five years so that it remains compatible with modern-day requirements, State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi said in her New Year speech. Myanmar’s education sector is dominated by teacher ascendancy and student obedience, which has limited free discussion and expression of thought (Oo 2015: 395). She stressed the importance of the language issue in the peace process. Myanmar education is basically run by government ministries and most universities are based in the divisions of Yangon and Mandalay. Because of the importance of education to their children’s lives, many parents would like to play a more active role in the associations and are dissatisfied that they have to follow decisions made by teachers. The higher education system follows a 4-1-3 year program with 4 years for a bachelor's degree, one year of qualifying classes, and 3 years for a master's degree. After a half-century of neglect under military rule, Myanmar's education system has fallen apart. There are no options, which is unfair to those who could not or did not finish high school and decide after working for a few years that they would like to further their education. Myanmar has not executed a convict for decades, though they continue to be put on death row. The teaching of history is a controversial issue in Myanmar and many in ethnic areas believe they should be taught the history of their own people as well as that of the Bamar. Myanmar plans to upgrade its education system in order to strip off what critics feel to be outdated colonial elements of schooling, Xinhua reported. Then, primary schooling lasts for 1 to 5 years. The NLD committed to addr… Following an optional pre-school period, children enter primary school for 5 compulsory years. Education Expenditures. In order to catch up with the information age all high schools and even primary schools are being equipped with computers to help students become familiar with electronic media. There is no equivalent in Myanmar of the General Educational Development test (also known as the General Educational Diploma and General Equivalency Diploma) in the US, which allows students who did not complete high school to qualify for university admission. A policy paper issued last month by the Ethnic Nationalities Affairs Center discusses mother-tongue based multilingual education. Increasing the number of training places available is fairly simple, but can be done only after building the capacity of the system through substantial investment in facilities and skills of TVET educators. General Information. The story of the education system in Myanmar is closely interweaved with the political situation. Historically, Burma, officially called Myanmar, has not supported and has even been hostile to education. Prospects for sustaining the country's fragile political transition hinge not just on the resolution of the Rohingya crisis in Rakhine State, but also on the country's progress on ensuring access to quality schools for all students. Most of the teachers in the zone are from lower Myanmar and because they are teaching in Burmese, the Naga children do not understand what they are saying. In Burma, otherwise known as Myanmar decades of political conflict have reduced a once-proud education system to one that is lagging sadly. The MoE estimates some 2.7m people aged between five and 29 years have either never enrolled in school or dropped out of formal education. This usually lasts for 1 or 2 years while the degreed ones in the University lasts for 3 to 4 years. After the independence, the public schools started reaching all parts of… Traces the history and development of the education system of Myanmar. Teachers hit students for many reasons, such as not paying attention, causing disruptions in class, falling asleep or failing to achieve high marks in tests. The corruption of the system is condemned by U Soe Win Oo, a private tutor, education reform campaigner and vice chairman of the National League for Democracy in Yangon Region. At the time of the British decolonization of Asia in 1948, Myanmar was lauded for having one of the top educational systems in the continent.Many experts projected that Myanmar would come to be one of the central powers of the region due to its superior education, however, this has not been the case. It no longer exists in ASEAN countries but in Myanmar due to various reasons it is still slow in amending this system. The quality of school teachers may be excellent, however aging materials sadly let them down. UNICEF also supports the implementation of the National Early Childhood Care and Development Policy. Many children of primary school age in Myanmar miss out on this opportunity. The exam decides the future direction of a student’s life and career and if they do not pass they will not have another chance to qualify for admission to university. EdStats (Education Statistics) provides data and analysis on a wide range of education topics such as access, quality, learning outcomes, teachers, education expenditures, and education equality. This is followed by lower secondary education that lasts for 6 to 8 years and followed by upper secondary that lasts for another 1 to 2 years. One of the primary areas that would benefit from reform is Burma’s education system. Education specialists agree that the curriculum is badly in need of reform and would also benefit from the introduction of modern teaching methods and technology. Mother-tongue teaching is also mentioned in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Persons belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities. It’s a free weekly round-up featuring the most important events shaping Myanmar, This post is also available in: This often happens when parents want their children to attend a school outside the township where they live, such as the highly-regarded former Christian-run schools that were nationalised after General Ne Win seized power in 1962. There are Buddha images and Buddhist shrines in every government school. The only subjects that boys need to score higher marks than girls are law and computer science. Schools train pupils in moral and social behaviour. The Myanmar Naing-Ngan Education Committee was established in 1991 with a view to establishing an education system compatible with the political, economic and social system, help uphold Myanmar’s cultural traits and contribute to the development of the country. “We can look at the language issue from a human rights perspectives, or we can look at the language issue and the history issue from a transitional justice perspective, if Myanmar is really willing to genuinely reform,” Nang K Thwe said, adding that there should be a comprehensive education sector review involving all stakeholders, including ethnic nationalities, the government, the Tatmadaw and the United Nations. Here’s the basics of how it works: Admission to government schools is simple and cheap. We’re not betting on a print revival to ensure Frontier’s survival, but we believe print still has an important place in the media landscape. “It’s a depressing situation when education has become a market from which some principals benefit at admission times; the government should do more to control this,” said Soe Win Oo, who has provided tuition for about 30 years under the name Dr Bio. Regional college then follows for those who cannot obtain degree-oriented ones. Any revision of the curriculum would require careful consideration about subject content, including what languages would be taught. There are two branches of the Department of Higher Education, one for Lower Myanmar and the other … Primary Education. Another issue affecting teachers is their pay and consideration must be given to providing a decent income. Universities and professional institutes from upper Burma and lower Burma are run by two separate entities, the Departments of Higher Education (Lower Burma and Upper Burma), whose office headquarters are based in Yangon and Mandalay respectively. Participation in Education. Most schools have snack bars, many of which were run by teachers until the 2005-2006 academic year, when the government ordered them to stop. But there are 150 universities and colleges that are divided into 14 divisions and states. According to Myanmar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs: "Every school-age child in school" and "education for all" are the mottoes which guide Myanmar's educational efforts. Prof. Dr Myo Thein Gyi, Union Minister for Education of Myanmar (14 November, 2019) Friday, November 15, 2019 - 04:55 Read more While most girls attend primary school, the numbers gradually decrease at the secondary and higher education levels. Discussions about the education system in Myanmar often tend to be dominated by the curriculum. The quality of school teachers may be excellent, however aging materials sadly let them down. However, the educational system was adversely affected by the coup d’états in 1962 and 1988, with academic spaces being targeted by the military to curb student protests and uprisings. Many parents are pushing for the government to reform the associations so they can have a greater say. General Information . Progress and Completion in Education . Education in Burma is not only inaccessible to many people but also heightens existing ethnic tensions. Such stories are all too common in Myanmar where attaining education is a difficult feat for many females despite it being constitutionally guaranteed for all. Some government schools are better than others and parents keen to ensure their children have the best possible education will not hesitate paying a bribe to secure admission to the school of their choice. Critics of the matriculation system, also point to the fact that girls must gain higher grades than boys to study certain subjects at university. To give you a good notion on how Myanmar education is being chunked to provide the best to every child and adult Burmese, the education starts at Kinder 1 and extends up to Kinder 3. The curricula at government schools should encourage democratic values, morality, tolerance of diversity and Myanmar’s social and cultural heritage. Education in Myanmar is the main theme of the seminar that was held at the Australian National University, Centre for UNESCO building at 5 Liversidge Street on Wednesday, 31 March 2004 at 4:30 p.m. 2. The paper notes that teaching children in their mother-tongue is globally recognised as the most effective way for early learning to occur. It should be no surprise that in a nation with 135 officially-recognised ethnic nationalities and eight main ethnic groups, mother-tongue teaching has been emerging as an important education issue and one linked to the peace process. Greater access to TVET requires expansion in the number of training places as well as the removal of barriers to enrolling in a training course or having one’s skills recognised. Nearly 1 in 5 children (881,000) are not attending school, the national census of 2014 found. National Education Strategic Plan (NESP) during the period 2016-2021. Support more independent journalism like this. Participation in Education . EDUCATION IN MYANMAR 1. Article 4.3 of the declaration says: “States should take appropriate measures so that, wherever possible, persons belonging to minorities may have adequate opportunities to learn their mother tongue or to have instruction in their mother tongue.”. Myanmar. Since Myanmar’s internal conflicts are long-lasting and complex, the new education system should help people understand the underlying causes of current ethnic conflicts, contribute to social transformation and the peace process as well as learn non-violent ways of responding to conflict. This can be explained, among other things, by Buddhist religious practices in which ignorance is cited as a major cause of human suffering and the rebirth associated with it. Myanmar established a multi-stakeholder local education group, the Education & TVET Sector Coordination Group (ETVSCG) in 2017. Historically, Myanmar had a high quality education system Traditionally, children were taught at monasteries, and later following British colonization, there was a shift towards a westernized public school system. 40th Session of UNESCO Conference Speech by H.E. There are a number of models for how to manage this process, and Sustainable Skills can assist the Government of Myanmar in formu… Parents cannot make suggestions and or raise concerns at the annual meetings of the associations. Students at a mathematics tuition class in Yangon. Education System. Any reform of the government school curriculum will be of little value if it cannot be taught effectively and more attention needs to be paid to teacher training. The importance that almost the entire population places on the final matriculation exam cannot be underestimated. The masters will then follow that extends for 1 to 2 years and ends with doctoral that usually takes another 6 to 9 years. Science, Technology and Innovation. This education should be an additional to a separate degree that prerequisite to the field of medicine. Myanmar’s education system is divided into five segments: early childhood care and development (ECCD), basic education, alternative education, technical and vocational education and training (TVET), and higher education. Education in Myanmar is improving, though this progress has been slow. In order to find solutions to the challenges and gaps in the current education system, since July Since then outsiders have been permitted to operate snack bars at schools. At independence, Myanmar had the highest literacy rate in … The NESP anticipates a particular need in the area of non-formal education, helping people find alternative routes to learning and, eventually, work. The curriculum for primary students should incorporate classes in morality, and any such teaching should be secular and not religion-based. “They also teach the kids the history of Bamar dynasties and kings, but it can be difficult for them to understand the terms used by the ancient Bamar kingdoms, and most students can only try to imagine the meaning of these words by closing their eyes,” said Ko Nok Tun, chairman of the Naga Cultural and Literary Committee in the zone’s Namyun Township. Purrfect English Youth Essay Competition winner May Myat Noe Khant imagines a future in which urbanisation and increased foreign investment privilege a lucky few but leave the rest behind. Education experts say corporal punishment can be eliminated if teaching methods are reformed. Myanmar education is basically run by government ministries and most universities are based in the divisions of Yangon and Mandalay. 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