2

The missing million: Fewer than one in five graduate high school
A groundbreaking
multi-year education
review cites lack of
interest as primary
reason for dropouts,
confirms need for
sector reform
STUART ALAN BECKER
stuart.becker@gmail.com

UST one in five Myanmar

youngsters finishes high school,
according to analysis of data
gathered by a Comprehensive
Education Sector Review (CESR), which
began in 2012 and is now in its final
phase. Lack of interest has been found
to be the primary reason for dropout.
Led by Myanmars Ministry of
Education and supported by the Asian
Development Bank and other development partners including UNICEF and
the aid agencies of Australia, Germany
and Japan the CESR is the first education study of its kind conducted in
Myanmar in 20 years.
Heading the ADBs efforts to discover whats required for Myanmar
to transition from a natural-resource
economy toward a more profitable service and technology economy is Chris
Spohr, a socio-economist who earned
his doctorate from the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology.
Speaking to The Myanmar Times, Mr
Spohr said successful economic transitions such as those in Japan and the
Peoples Republic of China require the
development of human capital, and
thus they depend on the strength and

quality of the education system.

International experience suggests
education is critical, said Mr Spohr.
Myanmars ability to prepare todays
youth to be the skilled workers of
tomorrow will shape the pace and
nature of economic growth, as well
as the extent to which that growth is
equitable and inclusive.
Mr Spohr said the data collected and
analysed in the CESR is important because it enables policy makers at the
Ministry of Education to understand
the underlying causes of dropout rates,
and thus lays groundwork for effective
formulation of solutions.
This is the first attempt at hard
analysis of the education sector in
two decades to generate evidence and
hard facts as a basis for pinpointing
challenges and priorities for education
sector reforms, he said.
Of the 1.1 million Myanmar students who enter the countrys primary
schools each year, only about 300,000
make it to grade 11 (10th standard)
in public high schools 11 years later,
the study reveals. Of these students,
only one-third (just above 100,000) are
able to pass the matriculation exam
required for high school completion
and access to university.
The numbers suggest theres nearly
a missing million of youth exiting the
school system each year with limited
prospects for further education or
employment, the study said.
The number of matriculation
re-takers those who fail one or
more subjects and thus have to wait a
year to retake the entire test is also
perhaps shocking large, Mr Spohr
said. Every year, there are on average
470,000 matriculation exam takers
versus only 300,000 grade 11 students.

That means over half fail some

multiple times. We dont know what
to do, Mr Spohr quoted one parent as
saying, after a child resat and failed
matriculation three years running.
Whether youth graduate or drop
out, the study found little quality
education awaiting those wishing to
take up a trade. Technical and vocational education and training (TVET)
is a critical missing component of the
educational puzzle.
TVET has generally not provided
a pathway for the gross majority of
those exiting formal schooling. This is
partly because many existing forms
of TVET require matriculation exam
passage. Analysis of recent household
survey data suggests that 1 out of
9 youth age 16-19 were enrolled in
higher education, while less than 1%
of the remainder were taking any form
of training, the study said.

Nearly a missing
million of youth
[are] exiting the
school system each
year with limited
prospects for
further education or
employment.
ComprehensiveEducationSectorReview

Analysis of findings shows that five

out of six Myanmar school children
complete primary school. While low,
Mr Spohr says this is far from the lowest in the region.
However, he added, Nearly a quarter of those who complete primary
school fail to transition into middle
school [lower secondary education],
leaving Myanmar with the lowest transition rate among countries with data
in Southeast, East, or South Asia.
Among younger children, the primary factor behind dropping out is that
poor families cannot afford to send
their children to school. For dropouts
from secondary education, however,
the most commonly cited factor is lack
of interest.
Mr Spohr attributes this to a pervasive, widespread belief that schools fail
to provide relevant quality education
which will prepare students for success in the real world.
This is likely based on parents
and students perception about the
quality of education that the current
curriculum, pedagogy and rote-based
assessment are outdated and weakly
relevant to the real world or to getting
a decent job. In other words, quality
is feeding back into access issues, he
said.
Quality also drives access through
financial costs, which is the secondmost-cited reason for exit from
secondary grades. ADB-supported
analysis under the CESR indicates that
high school, not university, is the most
expensive level of education in terms
of household expenditure burden
per child enrolled. That analysis also
shows that private tutoring is the
largest single component of household spending on education, driven

Photo: Aung Htay Hlaing

by the matriculation exam and other

rote-based assessments. Once again,
quality issues are driving access.
He added, however, that the government does recognise that secondary
education is a critical bottleneck, and
therefore a key front line in Myanmars
battle to modernise its economy.
CESR analysis of various challenges
is now being used by the Ministry
of Education and other government
agencies to formulate the National Education Sector Plan, which will address
comprehensive priorities throughout
the education sector, from preschool
through higher education, he said.
The CESR has provided evidence
on the who, when, and why of
school dropout and exit, as well as the
challenges this poses for Myanmars
socioeconomic transformation.
Mr Spohr identifies two key priorities needing attention. First, he says,
the completion rates of middle school,
which are currently less than half, and
high school, which are one in five, need

When students leave

school and why
Of the nations children, about

Of these,

4 percent,
or 45,000,

about 1 in 2

never start school at all.

A total of

1.1 million
Myanmar children newly enter
the countrys public primary
schools each year.
Of these,

5 out of 6

make it to the last year of

secondary school.
Of these,

1 in 3
pass the matriculation exam
(though some re-take and pass
in later years).
As a result, out of 1.1 million
students entering public school
each year,

complete primary school.

just over 100,000

Of these,

pass directly through to

completion.

3 out of 4
continue to start secondary
school.

The biggest reasons for leaving?

Lack of interest and

lack of money.

For more information, see:

http://www.adb.org/projects/46369-001/documents or http://www.cesrmm.org

to rise.
Second, he says, TVET needs to be
reformed and enhanced to provide a
pathway for a much larger number of
youth exiting academic education in
particular providing access to poor and
disadvantaged youth and unskilled
workers.
Interventions, including needsbased student stipends and expanding
school networks, are also important
elements to addressing the current
problems, he adds.
The upgrading of rural affiliated,
branch, and post-primary schools into
full-fledged middle schools may be a
low-hanging fruit. But CESR analysis
also points to less obvious dimensions
that will be particularly critical in
Myanmar.
In secondary education, Mr Spohr
says the government recognises that
reforming the curriculum including
transforming textbook content as well
as teaching and assessment will be
vital in countering the lack of interest

driving most dropouts.

ADB has been very proud to
support the Ministry of Education
in formulating prospective secondary education curriculum reforms
via two technical assistance projects
co-financed by Australia, and working
closely with other development partners, he said.
To raise the standard of trade training, the findings suggest the need to
open the doors to TVET, developing
a large array of new programs aimed
at providing industry-demanded skills
to disadvantaged youth and unskilled
workers regardless of academic
credentials. ADB, with support from
the Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction,
is very proud to be supporting the
Ministry of Science and Technology
and Ministry of Industry in developing
and pilot testing competency-based
modular short courses.
ADB has been the main development partner supporting secondary
education and one of a small number
of partners supporting CESR analysis
of TVET and higher education, something Mr Spohr says he is proud to be
involved in.
From my own perspective, Ive been
extremely impressed at the extent to
which my government counterparts
are willing in fact eager to candidly
discuss challenges. Ive seen that more
in Myanmar than in any other country
Ive covered in my more than 15
years working on education in Asia.
Clearly there are huge challenges here.
However, I see that candor and commitment to work with development
partners to get at the root of problems
and tap international experience to
formulate workable solutions as a
huge asset in pursuing solutions.

Whats ahead for your child?

U Tin Aung, 49, Tarmwe

My son is in the third year of secondary

school at MLA International School.
I have enrolled him there since the
second year of primary. Before that
he was at government school but we
wanted better-than-ordinary education
for him so we decided MLA would be a
good place.
He always says that his dream is to
become an engineer. I respect that. We
are not going to decide what he studies in college or what kind of person
he should to be. However, we have
to motivate him every time he seems
distracted. What we are most afraid of is
him succumbing to peer pressure and
losing his focus.
We dont know which country he will
head to after taking the IGCSEs. He
has an uncle in Singapore. However,
we dont want everything about his life
to be decided by us. All we do now is
encourage. Who knows? Maybe hell go
to college in the US.

Staff writers Stuart Alan Becker, Mya Kay

Khine, Nay Zaw Aung Win, May Thinzar
Naing, Cherry Thein, Myat Noe Oo, Bill
OToole, Shwe Yee Saw Myint, Phyo Wai
Kyaw, Myo Lwin

Daw Ye Ye Oo, 42, Thingangyun

Two of my children finished high school

long ago, and the eldest is working in
Dubai. My youngest son just passed
Grade 8 from BEHS 1 Thingangyun.
My dream is for him to become a
doctor. Ever since he was a little boy, he
worked hard and passed exams with
flying colours, so I strongly believe my
dream will become reality. Who wouldnt
want to become a doctor? Its a dream
for all parents. Being a doctor is such an
honour. And the most important thing is
you get merit for saving peoples lives.
You can help a lot of people that way.
For now, though, I have to keep an eye
on him. He spends too much time playing games on his phone. When school
reopens I might have to take it away.
I dont know whether hell be studying
here or abroad after high school. The
thing is, we are not very rich. If he really
tries hard and gets a scholarship to a
country like Australia I would be very
happy. Nay Zaw Aung Win

Sub editor Mya Kay Khine Soe

Staff photography Aung Htay Hlaing,
Naing Wynn Htoon

Cover photograph

Contributors Ewan Cameron, Rupin

Aung Htay Hlaing (Pauktaw township, Rakhine)

Mahiyaria, Michelle Schaner, San Tun Aung

Cover design Ko Htway

Editors Myo Lwin, Wade Guyitt

Page layout Ko Khin Zaw

For feedback and enquiries, please contact

wadeguyitt@gmail.com, myolwin286@gmail.com

The high cost of free ed

MYA KAY KHINE
mya.simplefly@gmail.com

HE recently approved decision

to offer free high-school
education is the last of a threeprong lifting of fees for the countrys
roughly 8 million state school
students. Fees were removed from
primary education starting from
2012-13; from secondary (middleschool) education last year, and now
from high school, the Ministry of
Education confirmed last week.
As The Myanmar Times has
previously reported, grade 10 (9thstandard) students now get K1700
worth of textbooks free as well as
K700 in school fees, and grade 11
(10th-standard) students are spared
K2300 of textbook charges and K800
in school fees. Also lifted are parent
and teacher association fees, plus
stationery fees of K500.
The news comes as a relief to
families whose children were
unable to continue their schooling
in years past due to insufficient
income. However, formal fees are
only the tip of the iceberg when it
comes to the true cost to parents
of sending a child to school. From
car ferries to necessary tutoring
in the form of extra-curricular
tuition classes, education remains
prohibitively expensive for some.
This year, I cant enroll my grade
10 child in school because I faced a
problem last year when I couldnt
pay the monthly fee to the tuition
teachers of my younger children
after the first month, said Daw Aye
Aye Khaing, mother of six. I asked
my two elder children, a grade 11

repeater and a grade 10 student, to

help me by working out of school.
Daw Aye Aye Khaing washes
and irons for other households in
her ward in Yankin township. Her
husband works at Theingyi Market
in downtown Yangon. Together they
pay extra tuition fees of K10,000
for grade 1 and K20000-K25000 for
older children. They say having
extra after-hours tutoring is the
only way students can cover the
curriculum properly in Myanmars
severely under-resourced public
education system.
Since finishing exams, the 10thgrader and the eighth-grader have
gone to work. I pool their money
each day with neighbours by using
a savings club, a system commonly
used by those without bank
accounts to make it easier to adhere
to a savings plan.
Last year, she says, she put away
K1000 daily just for the childrens
education. This year shes striving
for twice that.
While enrollment itself is not
expensive, Daw Aye Aye Khaing says,
extra stationery and other school
costs add up. While textbooks are
given free, for example, exercise
books must be bought. How much
does her family spend on education
in total? K150,000 a year, she said.
Thats too much to keep everyone
in the classroom at once. One
daughter, who failed grade 10 last
year, had to take a year out to work.
If she passes grade 10 in this
coming year, she will attend grade
11 the next year. But it will cause
difficulty for us because the current
grade 9 girl will also enter grade 10

at that time.
A head teacher from Mingalardon
township, who asked to remain
anonymous, said the school system
is doing what they can to reduce
costs. The teacher added, however,
that while some families struggle,
others spend unnecessary amounts.
In school we need one book for
each subject but some parents
are using more books for each
subject. For example, they use
separate books for grammar or
meanings for English class. Then
they are spending money on
expensive school facilities. So they
face high costs for their childrens
education.
Daw Ei Pyo Kyi, who lives
in Bahan township, has a son
attending both state school BEHS
2 Bahan, home to a relatively
affluent student body as well
as an international school on
weekends. For tuition classes to
keep up with his state school
studies they pay K50,000 a month,
while the weekend school costs
US$500 a month.
And dont forget his daily K1200
for bus fare, plus K1000 for pocket
money.
When there is a traffic jam, I give
K4000 daily for his taxi fee, added
Daw Ei Pyo Kyi.
She said she spends a total of
K9000 a month combined just on
exercise books for the state school,
tuition and international school
classes. Her son also goes through
an average of 12 pens in one month,
she said, and she has three times
had to repurchase erasers and
rulers after they disappeared.

4
NEW DELHI

Under pressure, Indias

students turn to cheating

AYALI, 15, knew she was doing

Until the system changes,
wrong when she scribbled
cheating will remain a common
prompts on her hands before
feature during exams.
entering one of Indias thousands of
Rakesh Kumar, who left school
examination rooms But like many
in 2008, makes no apologies for his
other students, the pressure to pass
efforts, including smuggling notes
her annual exams was too intense.
into the exam, hidden under his
Failure would jeopardise her chances
watch and in his socks.
of climbing out of poverty long
There werent many teachers or
shackling her family.
chairs, sometimes no electricity. I lost
Theres too much to memorise
interest slowly, so I didnt study, Mr
and pressure from parents, teachers
Kumar, from Bihar, said.
and even competition with friends,
Sometimes the invigilators
she told AFP. If you cant handle it
wouldnt care much. They turned a
all, you fail.
blind eye ... That helped. Honestly, I
Television footage last month
had no choice. I had to cheat..
showed dozens of relatives scaling
For better-off students, cameras
school walls in northern Bihar, one of
hidden in buttons, ties, pens and
Indias poorest states, passing cheat
bras accompanied by Bluetooth
sheets through exam-room windows
technology are available
as staff and police looked the other
online and in shops tucked
way. The footage made international
away in the backstreets of
headlines, forcing authorities to issue
Delhis old quarter.
parents with fines, but experts were
Sometimes kids come
unsurprised.
by to check out the items,
Arjun Dev, former head of a
shopkeeper Rocky Binwal
government body that plans and
said, adding that his policy is
promotes schools, said an endless
not to ask questions.
overemphasis on memory-testing
Anand Kumar, who
exams has stubbed out creativity
teaches maths to students
and reasoning.
from poor families in Bihar,
Spy pens help
The system
said plenty of students work
kids from better-off
has failed
hard rather than cheat, and
families to cheat on
students. It
that teachers needed to
Indian exams, while
in poorer areas
doesnt equip
work harder to help them.
parents pass notes
them with
Also, there needs to be
through windows as
necessary
a sense of shame that
officials turn a blind
qualifications and
accompanies cheating
eye. Photo: AFP
then overplays
and not just when the
the importance of exams, whose
person gets caught. It
certificate is hailed as the
should not be considered
ultimate ticket to success, he
the done thing.
said.
AFP

University
application
process to be
reformed
Students depart BEHS 6 Botahtaung after writing 10th-standard matriculation exams. Photo: Naing Wynn Htoon

Proposed overhaul of the university entrance process will mean less focus
on matriculation scores and more on self-directed applications by students
MAY THINZAR NAING
maythinzar99@gmail.com

OR students abroad, choosing a

university is one of the biggest
and most difficult decisions
they will make. Interests, location,
reputation and a host of other
factors come into play. For students
in Myanmar, however, selecting a
university has traditionally posed far
less of a dilemma: Students simply
enroll on the best degree course
available to them based on their
matriculation exam results.
This looks set to change, however,
with the introduction of the
Ministry of Educations long-debated
education reforms. The proposed
reforms scheduled to be introduced
for the 2015-2016 academic year

include a new system of university

admission that will enable students
to apply to universities offering
courses that match their interests.
Under the current fixed
admission system, a lot of students
end up studying subjects they
are not interested in, one retired
senior officer from the Ministry of
Education told The Myanmar Times
under condition of anonymity.
When they graduate, they work in
sectors completely unrelated to their
degree subject, which means they
dont utilise skills they have learned.
With the new system, students
will be able to study subjects that
interest them, and therefore make a
greater contribution to the country.
Under the new system, students
will sit entrance exams for the
universities of their choice, based on
the subject they want to study.
The current system, long derided
as outdated compared to those of
neighbouring countries, also prevents
students who fail their matriculation
exams from applying to university
straight away. Under the proposal,
students can re-sit the entrance
tests of the universities they want to
attend until they pass.
Entrance exams will be set
by individual universities, and
institutions across thte country
including Yangon University,
Mandalay University and the
University of Foreign Languages are
already preparing the exams for the
next academic year.
Our questions will test how
much a student is interested in the
subject they have applied to study,
said U Aung Thu, rector of Yangon
University. We wont be testing
subjects they have already learned as
part of the 10th-standard curriculum.
Instead we plan to test students
analytical and logical skills.
The director general of the
Department of Myanmar Education
Research Bureau, Daw Khine Mye,
said not all universities will hold
entrance exams, however. She said
arts and science universities will be
excluded under the new system.
We are currently finalising the
criteria for operating university
entrance exams. They will only
be held in some universities, and
policies for university entrance will
be published soon, she said.
But critics say these changes
will pose additional challenges for
students. One rector, who wished to

be anonymous, said the new system

may encourage corruption among
unscrupulous exam administrators.
Bribery of examiners could
become a problem. During the
transition period we need to be
careful to ensure the system is fair,
he said, adding that entrance exams
could become a burden for students.
Students are already working
hard to pass their matriculation
exams, and now they have to sit an
entrance exam as well, he said.
Budget and space limitations also
have to be considered. There will be
many students applying to sit the
tests, and most universities will not
have the space or budget available
for all of them to take the exam, he
added.
A professor from the University
of East Yangon, who asked that
his name not be printed, said the
content of the exams must also be
carefully considered.
It is still being discussed what
questions the papers will include. If
this system goes ahead, the entrance
exams should be rigorously tested
to ensure they are fair. Otherwise
there is a risk that a university will
lose its reputation, the professor
said, adding that matriculation exam
results should also be considered as
part of the admission process.
Whether the reforms will make
a difference in a country where
decisions regarding students
education are often steered by
parents many of whom hold
conservative views about the prestige
of subjects such as medicine and
engineering remains to be seen.
But Daw Khine Mye says the new
system will significantly increase
students choices when it comes to
choosing an institution.
Eligible students will be able to
attend universities in other regions, so
students in other states and regions
will be able to attend university in
Yangon and vice versa, she said.
Not everyone agrees increased
choice will be a relief, however.
Education consultant U Aung Kyaw
San says the reforms will make
decisions about where and what to
study even more difficult.
Most Myanmar students have an
inability to decide what subject to
study, he said. Myanmar students
are industrious, but they are weak in
decision making.
Translation by
Thiri Min Htun and Emoon

International school fees to rise:

Whats driving the price?

MICHELLE SCHANER
mschaner@gmail.com

HE majority of international schools

in Yangon expect to hike tuition in
the 2015-2016 academic year by an
additional 9 percent on average, citing
devaluation of the local currency and the
high cost of living particularly the cost of
housing for staff and teachers.
For children attending the most expensive schools in Yangon the increase
is somewhat lower. But annual fees will
range from US$11,000 (for preschool
children) to upward of $25,000 (for years 12
and 13) to attend either the International
School of Yangon (ISY), which has a USbased accredited curriculum, or the newest
and most expensive on the block, The
British International School Yangon. BISY
has the backing of a prestigious, UK-based
foundation and an accreditation new to
Yangon that distinguishes it from other UK
curriculum-based accredited schools.
Thus far the high fees and expected
increases do not seem to be deterring parents. ISY has waiting lists for most grades
in the coming year, and BISY still in its
first year has nearly doubled in size.
In terms of demand, the demand here
has been really big, said Mark Johnson,
head of administration for BISY. Compared to [the BIS school in] Kuala Lumpur
which was a very quick growing school
this has probably surpassed the growth we
had there Its been really busy.
Two years ago, the International School
of Myanmar (ISM), a smaller international school with a higher percentage of
Myanmar students, informed parents that
growing pains and rising costs were forcing
the school to raise fees by as much as 20pc
in some grades for the following year. The
announcement was not received well by
parents, some of whom staged a protest
outside the school demanding it be more
transparent with its finances in order to
justify the rising costs.
Those protests were followed by large
public meetings, at which parents invited
members of the press and confronted
school board members, rallying for greater
input in management of the school.
The public response surprised board
members, said ISMs new director, Ambler
Moss, and they have since responded to
parent concerns.
It [the protests] certainly changed
things, Mr Moss said. He now gives presentations to incoming groups of parents to
explain precisely how their money will be
spent, and to answer any and all questions
they may have about the schools management and financial procedures.
If you tell people instead of surprising
people if you tell them the reason and
the rationale its not that big of a deal, he
said.

In the two years since those protests the

school has also increased teacher salaries
by as much as 25 percent for some, and
has hired more experienced teachers including couples, to help reduce accommodation costs. Still, he said, housing costs
alone account for more than 20 percent of
the schools overall budget and limit the
schools ability to invest in capital projects,
such as new facilities for music and the
arts, or materials that increase the prestige
of the school.
The majority of ISMs students are
Myanmar, and many parents pay out of
pocket in contrast to ISY and BISY, where
many parents have come from abroad
and have tuition fees subsidised by their
companies or organisations. Depending on
the grade, ISMs fees for the 2015-16 school
year are expected to be anywhere from 60

Our facilities, salaries

and our benefits
increased at a rate
that is either equal
to or higher than our
tuition.
Ethan Van Drunen
Myanmar International Schoo l of Yangon
to 40 percent lower than those set by ISY
and BISY. They will range from roughly
$4200 (for pre-kindergarten) to $13,000 for
grade 12.
We have to play smarter on some
things and we have to do without some
things [to keep costs down], Mr Moss said.
[The board] still has the dream to keep the
school affordable for people.
The Myanmar Times contacted several
well-known international schools for this
story. Network and Yangon Academy declined to disclose their fees for the 2015-16
school year, and said by email they would
not be able to comment further given
the tight publication deadline. ILBC and
The Yangon International School did not
respond to emails.
The Myanmar International School of
Yangon (MISY) also did not disclose fees for
the coming year. But the schools director, Ethan Van Drunen, said fees would
increase in 2015-16, mostly for operating
costs related to the schools explosive
growth in the past two years. MISY has
seen a 58pc increase in enrollment in that
time frame, with numbers increasing from
350 students two years ago to an antici-

pated 600 students in the coming year.

Our facilities, salaries and our benefits
increased at a rate that is either equal to
or higher than our tuition, Mr Van Drunen
said.
An estimated 70pc of MISYs student
body is from Myanmar, with the remaining
30pc comprised of international students
from 27 different countries. Both ISY and
BISY, in contrast, are primarily geared
toward expatriate children, and restrict the
number of Myanmar students to around
30pc of the total student body.
Although Mr Van Drunen did not disclose MISYs fees for the coming year, he
said they are in line with those at international schools of a similar category, such
as ISM.
ISY director Stephen Plisinksi said
fee hikes for the coming year would be
minimal, at 6pc, and mostly related to
operating costs. The schools board made
a conscious decision to keep the increase
lower, he said, despite a spike in expenditures related to an ambitious and ongoing
construction project that will add new
classrooms in the upper grades, a new science lab, a gymnasium, a health clinic and
a state-of-the art arts centre to the schools
compound in Golden Valley.
Even with the construction, the school
was able to minimise the fee increase
by drawing upon an existing fund for
construction costs and choosing to scale
back its plans to include a more phased
approach, he said.
For the majority of international schools
in Myanmar, keeping housing and staff
costs down remains a challenge. As a
school director, MISYs Mr Van Drunen said
he is consistently facing three bottom lines:
financial; educational; and a third relating
to the schools culture. Complicating these,
he said, are the significant uncertainties
of doing business in Myanmar rent, currency fluctuation and the changing nature
of the country.
Mr Van Drunen said much of his time
is spent simply managing expectations of
both teachers and parents.
While the teachers Mr Van Drunen hires
are recruited via the same agency as ISYs,
MISY is not able to offer them the same
salary, benefits or overall package that ISY
can. Many teachers arrive from countries
where they have a better life, more amenities and a lower cost of living. Therefore, he
said, he must work harder to find the right
teachers for his school.
I tell teachers that their life will be a little
difficult and ask them if they are up for the
challenge, he said. If the salary and benefits
are good enough then teachers will stay until
they want to move on to a different culture
or a different location. They stay because
of the overall mission of the school The
salary doesnt make them leave, but it also
doesnt always convince them to stay.

Draft law in works for

international schools
Until it passes, however, the legal
status of international schools will
remain difficult to pin down, despite
their rapidly growing numbers
SHWE YEE SAW MYINT
poepwintphyu2011@gmail.com

DRAFT regulatory law for international schools is

coming this month, the Ministry of Education says,
which should help to sort out some of the legal
ambiguities surrounding the status of the institutions.
U Soe Win, deputy director of the Basic Education
Department, said a draft will be ready in May, and that
while the ministry had earlier met with international school
founders to form teams to plan a draft, widespread protest
against the National Education Law briefly put progress on
the back burner.
Experts have told The Myanmar Times that there are
over 1000 so-called international schools in Yangon alone,
ranging from enormous institutions to smaller apartmentsized businesses. Regardless of size, however, thus far the
non-Myanmar-curriculum schools arent acknowledged as
such: Instead, they are classed as holding company licences,
making data about them difficult to assess and regulations
difficult to enforce.
U Tin Maung Win, managing director from ILBC, one of
the largest and longest-established international schools, is
among those drafting the international schools law. He said
the law will cover everything from tax status to curriculum
equality between state and international institutions as well
as possible upgrades.
This draft was planned together with 25 international
schools by assigning them into groups. There are also some
schools contributing to planning the draft by themselves.
After the draft is finished, U Tin Maung Win says, it will
be sent to the ministry to be put before parliament for
affirmation. If hluttaw affirms the draft, it will become law,
he said.
Exactly when this will happen, however, is not yet certain.
And in the meantime there are no restrictions on new
international schools opening, meaning the business is
skyrocketing.
U Tin Maung Win said that with foreign investment
rising in Myanmar and the economy growing, the number
of international schools is ever-rising, but still not meeting
demand from locals and foreigners willing to pay the hefty
fees.
One managing director of an international school, who
who wished to remain anonymous, said that without a law
to arrange oversight, international schools are growing more
and more and we dont know how well they are teaching. And
people who dont know better are attending.
The source said a dedicated law to govern the schools is
needed. But there is an upcoming election. The National
Educational Law hasnt been finished. There are also public
schools. So the government and the Ministry of Education
wont give priority to international schools like us. I think it
will take more time.
In the meantime, U Tin Maung Win from ILBC said that,
despite enrolment fees rising across the board, and multibillion-dollar institutions opening up every year offering the
best of the UK, US, Singaporean and Japanese curricula, some
arrivals from abroad are seeking out still more exclusive
options.
Some people came and asked our school to teach their
foreigners kids from a foreign company separately, he said.
But I responded to them I cant because we dont have
enough resources. Translation by Khant Lin Oo

Better skills in a land of entrepreneurs

Peace in Kayin means fewer economic migrants to Thailand and more opportunity to educate those at home, writes LIFTs Rupin Mahiyaria

HE opening-up of Myanmars
economy has meant a boom
in the demand for a qualified
and skilled workforce, highlighting
the importance of government-led
Technical and Vocational Education
and Training (TVET). TVET is one of
the six focal areas of the governments
Comprehensive Education Sector
Review 2012-2014 that seeks to reform
Myanmars education system.
TVET in Myanmar faces several
challenges, however. Firstly, training
is disparate and managed across
some 19 government ministries.
Secondly, TVET in Myanmar has
not had strong links with private
industry and businesses, meaning
that training is not always aligned
to the requirements of the job
market. Thirdly, infrastructure is a
major problem, and there is a lack of
technology, equipment and welltrained teachers. This has resulted in
a lack of trust in the programs and
qualifications that are on offer.
The multi-donor Livelihoods and

Food Security Trust Fund (LIFT) is

strengthening TVET in Kayin State.
LIFT promotes income diversification,
and encourages non-productive
households to step out of agriculture
and into more productive sectors of
the economy over time. Vocational
training can help make this happen.
LIFT is funding the Adventist
Development and Relief Agencys
(ADRAs) upgrade of TVET facilities in
Hpa-an, in a pilot project implemented
under the Ministry of Science and
Technology. The project found that
after 60 years of conflict in Kayin State,
young people were now flocking to
its capital in search of employment
opportunities, as opposed to migrating
to Thailand. TVET facilities at Hpa-an
Technical College were upgraded,
and teachers from the college went
to Thailand to take part in Training of
Trainers at Thai-run TVET colleges.
Short modular courses were
developed for skills that are in
high demand in Kayin: agricultural
machinery and motorbike repair,

People believe in me now. This is

the first time in my life that this has
happened.
Naw Tin Tin Aye
Vocational training recipient, Hpa-an

computer studies and tailoring. With

a curriculum adapted from the Office
of Vocational Education Commission
(OVEC) in Thailand, the practical
aspects of finding a job are addressed
in the training: There are modules
on complementary life skills, with
information on gender and good
nutrition; pre-employment training;
and small business skills; and trainees
are linked to relevant businesses
through a compulsory two-week
internship at the end of the course. To
help poor students join the course, a
living costs stipend is offered.
In the first batch of graduates, 70
percent started their own businesses
or found employment, earning a
regular monthly income of US$25-200.
Daw Po Po owns a busy printing
shop in Hpa-an, and took on two
computer graduates as interns.
After the two weeks of internship
finished, she offered them full-time
employment. Its a win-win situation.
I get trained staff, and they get sound
employment, she says.
Naw Tin Tin Aye used her stipend
to get a loan to set up a tailoring
shop next to a bus stop in her village.
Her average monthly income has
been $100, allowing her to grow the
business while sending her children to
school. People believe in me now, she
says, This is the first time in my life
that this has happened.

Daw Po Po has been running her own printing business for 10 years. The TVET
course provides her with a stream of interns. She has kept two of them on as
full-time staff. Its a win-win situation, she says. Photo: LIFT/Jacquetta Hayes

According to the International

Office on Migration, three-quarters
of Myanmars migrants to Thailand
come from Shan, Mon and Kayin
states and Tanintharyi Region. With
much of Kayins workforce in Thailand,
improved TVET training at home will
ensure that new migrants are better
skilled, can find better employment
and send back higher remittances to
their families. Workers may also be
able to stay at home, as opportunities
to be involved in the growing
manufacturing sectors arise.

LIFT is a multi-donor fund set-up in

2009 to improve the lives and prospects of poor and vulnerable people
in rural Myanmar. It is funded by the
governments of Australia, Denmark,
the European Union, France, Ireland,
Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand,
Sweden, Switzerland, the United
Kingdom, and the United States of
America, as well as, from the private
sector, the Mitsubishi Corporation.
The Fund is managed by the United
Nations Office for Project Services
(UNOPS). For more information,
please visit www.lift-fund.org

Living heritage
CHERRY THEIN
t.cherry6@gmail.com

ODAY being an artist seems

nearly rebellious, but once
they were cherished, even by
kings. In royal times artists served
as ombudsmen for the kingdom,
bringing news, information and
entertainment to the palace and the
public.
In return, they were blessed with
royal favour. At banquets, artists ate
alongside the king, and because
royal custom dictated the king
couldnt share a plate with them
they ate from special leaf-cups, phet
kyuat. Hence they came to be known
as phet khuat sar a person who eats
from a leaf plate.
When the British seized the
Myanmar throne in 1885, the natural
order of things was upended, and the
leaf-plate-eaters were no exception.
With nothing to fill their leaf-plates
with, artists gave up the stage for
the street. Rather than playing to
royal houses or people in authority,
they entertained the people, calming
their fury, soothing their sadness,
reminding them of the cultural roots
otherwise being actively swept away
by colonial rule.
In return, people appreciated
their artists, particularly those who
supported Independence. Some gave
money; some gave gifts. Though the
artists position was diminished, for
the ruling British did not praise or
promote local artistic traditions, they
continued to be cherished.
In time, though, the official antipathy trickled down. Some considered
artists merely beggars: Public performances sometimes drew criticism.
In Myanmar, as in many countries,
prejudice remains even to this day
against pursuing art as a passion let
alone entering into it as a career.
Fortunately, the struggle to
preserve artistic livelihoods and
traditions took institutional form
after Independence, in part with the
establishment of the Art Institute in
1952, later renamed the State School
of Fine Arts and the State School of
Dance, Drama and Music. (Both are
now located in the architecturally
stunning former home of Chinese
immigrant Lim Chin Tsong at 131
Kabar Aye Pagoda Road in Yangons
Bahan township.) Equivalent institutions opened in Mandalay in 1953,
and today all four are overseen by

If we
buy a
dozen its
cheaper
Taking stock of
the back-to-school
stationery boom

the Department of Fine Art of the

Ministry of Culture.
The Departments mandate is
stated on its website: To study,
expose and preserve Myanmar
traditional performing arts, drama,
plays, Anyeint classical dramas and
national races traditional dance and
music; To expose and preserve ten
kinds of Myanmar traditional arts and
crafts; To carry out cultural exchange
programmes with foreign countries;
To scrutinize Myanmar fine arts
[to check] if it is [in] harmony with
norms and customs; To nurture and
bring out new generation persons
of advanced fine arts through basic
painting, sculpture and theatrical
training schools and the Universities
of Culture.
Daw Mu Mu Khin served as principal of the State School of Dance,
Drama and Music from 1996 to 2010.
She told The Myanmar Times it is important to train young generations to
cherish the artistic traditional.
Actually art comes from the heart.
When I say train it is to appreciate
and value it, despite bad attitudes and
criticism upon it, she said.
Training artists and promoting the
high standards of Myanmar art has
been her lifelong devotion, she said.
For me, Myanmar performing art is
living heritage.
When contacted by The Myanmar
Times, Yangons state art schools said
they would prefer not to speak to the
media.
Each, however, advertises a tailored
program of artistic focus.
Fine arts students can study

aesthetic art (fine art), commercial

art, Myanmar traditional art, basic
carving and sculpting, carving and
sculpting animal and human forms,
and Myanmar traditional kanote (the
carving of floral designs, such as the
decorative motifs seen on carved
furniture or wooden columns).
Students at the School of Dance,
Drama and Music can study dancing,
singing, harp playing, xylophone
playing, saing (Myanmar drum circle)
playing, Myanmar oboe playing, piano
playing, violin playing and dramatic
acting.
Both schools offer three-year
certificates. While the study body
once ranged from 12 to 16 years of
age, policies changed in 2000 and the
schools now enrol students between
14 and 17 years of age.
In the early days, Daw Mu Mu Khin
said, passion drove enrollment: Those
who attended arts schools did so even
though they knew it would not lead
to a lucrative future. There were, she
said, no opportunities for artists then.
A higher institution offering bachelor and post-graduate degrees the
University of Arts and Culture Yangon
did open in 1993, however, allowing
further formal learning opportunities
for state school graduates and others.
Originally located at the same
grounds as the state schools, the university later moved to a separate 52acre location in South Dagon. Today it
offers degrees in cinematography and
drama, music, dramatic arts, painting, and sculpture, with post-grad
offerings in applied archaeology and
museology, plus an undergraduate

Visitors look at artwork from the State School of Fine Arts, Yangon. Photos: Staff

MYAT NOE OO
myatnoe.mcm@gmail.com

With royal patronage long gone, state support for

young artists, dancers and musicians today
falls to a handful of arts schools

OTHING offsets the sting of a

new school year like the promise
of new pencils and paper not
to mention pens, highlighters, soft
pens, erasers, liquid correction fluid,
notebooks, and, if youre lucky, maybe a
few stickers to decorate your pages too.
Perhaps more than those of any other
country, Myanmar children have a love
of stationery supplies and with public
schools set to open for another year
in June, stationery shops are currently
packed with parents and students
gearing up for the semester ahead.
Among the most popular places
to buy are Theingyi Market, Mingalar
Market and Yuzana Plaza, which over
will be teeming with shoppers in coming weeks, says stationer Ma War.

Shops see a boom in late May and

early June, she said. At other times they
sell school bags and other materials
but pencils and paper are their bread
and butter come back-to-school time.
In Myanmar schools we do not
use laptop computers. They only use
books and pencils, said Daw Thit Thit
of Yankin, who recently went shopping
for her school-age child.
I buy books and pencils by the
dozen for my son because they need
to use them the whole year. They use
books and pencils in school as well
as in tuition classes. I buy in Mingalar
Market because it fits my budget, and if
we buy a dozen its cheaper, she said.
Ma Hnin runs a stationery shop in
Hledan. She said when parents are
handling the pocketbook for younger
students, the shopping list runs to the
ordinary: Theres a focus on quality,

degree in computer arts. Foreign

students can also attend to learn
about Myanmar arts.
In 2001 a second University
of Arts and Culture opened
in Mandalay, offering BA
degrees in music, dramatic
arts, painting and sculpture.
Daw Mu Mu Khin said
the state schools used to only attract
students whose parents were artists,
as families with non-artistic backgrounds never encouraged children
to take up the arts, shepherding them
into more stable careers in business
or medicine.
She herself, however, did not come
from a family of artists. In fact, her
grandmother used to beat her when
she came back home from dancing.
But she kept dancing every day and finally was given permission to join the
state school with an evening course
in dancing.
That was in 1986, back when
students at the state school had a
starker choice: regular education or
arts education. Daw Mu Mu Khin decided to try juggling both by studying
dance in the evenings.
I earned my academic education
[during the day] and did not give up
my interest in dancing as well. I felt
grateful to my mother for giving me
that choice, she said.
The student body has now diversified to include children from families
in diverse fields. Students no longer
have to choose between arts and
standard educational credits: As parents were wanting their children to be
able to study art without falling behind in academics, the schools sought
permission from the Department of
Fine Art to add academic studies to
the curriculum, which happened in
2007-2008.
Students now split their days into
two shifts. From 7am to noon is for
academic study, like in mainstream
schools, and from 1pm to 4:30pm is
for arts study.
Daw Mu Mu Khin, who is also a
retired official from the Department
of Fine Art, said including standard
academic learning supports art studies in many different ways.
When children are gifted in art,
at the same time they also need
academic knowledge to promote their
interest. When they know English and
have good communications skills and
other general knowledge, it is easier
to develop their skills, Daw Mu Mu

and no splurging on the kinds of fancy

stationery on offer at City Mart and
other more upscale shops.
I sell few fancy stationery products,
just the most popular brand that most
people buy in books and pencils, said
Ma Hnin. The fancy materials are
expensive and some people think they
are only for looks and not good for

Photo: Aung Htay Hlaing

Khin said.
Former student Ko Myint Mo attended the State School of Music,
Drama and Dance before the revised
curriculum allowing broader study
was implemented. That meant he had
to give up academic study to pursue
his love of dance. But by then he had
already been skipping out off school
here and there to watch zet pwe
Myanmar performing arts much to
the chagrin of his family.
My father used to beat me when
he heard I skipped school and
watched zet pwe, but I was stubborn
and kept on, Ko Myint Mo said.
While his father pushed him to get
a standard education, Ko Myint Mo
was keenly interested in dance. After
he failed seventh standard, his parents allowed him to join the state arts
school, which he attended from 1997
to 2000, then entered professional
life always a difficult transition for
any artist.
In March and April of 2015, Ko
Myint Mo was invited to join the
Asian Cultural Council, which
supports transformative culture exchange by awarding grants to artists.
He said he was so proud to share
Myanmar art and dance with the
world, and was glad to have had the
training that allowed him to do so.
But he also expressed regret at
not having had a chance at a regular
education as well.
I did not regret my education
because I am happy dancing, and it is
my life, but I wanted to be educated,
Ko Myint Mo said.
He said he appreciates the education system in a place like the US,
where people have more choices in
their education, as well as more job
opportunities and appreciation from
society after graduation.
I feel being education means being able to appreciate and promote
different interests and gifted qualities, Ko Myint Mo said, adding that
he wished Myanmar would reform
its education system to offer better
options for students artists and
non-artists alike.

actual use.
Dont tell the older kids, though.
When students in 9th and 10th standards go shopping, it tends to be with
a group of friends, and without adult
supervision they gravitate toward the
cute and fancy materials, Ma Hnin
said.
Ma Nu Nu, stationery shop owner
at Theingyi market, said pop culture
drives decision making for the older
crowd.
We are not afraid of the more
modern materials because we have
our regular customers. But the times
are changing and we have to change
to match the current demand. For example, Korean movies are famous and
we sell book covers with Korean actors
and actresses on them. But we dont
sell other fancy materials, because
most people cannot buy them.

Pioneering
classrooms
With their focus on development and community
involvement, non-profit civil-society educators
arent just filling gaps, writes Ewan Cameron
theyre rethinking how education should work

HEN students finish high

school in Myanmar and want
to continue their studies, their
future is already somewhat planned
out. The subject they will pursue
at university depends on their final
grades from school. If they come from
privilege, there may be opportunities
to study at private schools, or even
go abroad, but for most students
especially those from marginalised
communities these are not options.
In the past five years, however,
civil society groups and local NGOs
have been setting up educational
programs and institutions that aim
to give alternative academic opportunities to previously disadvantaged
youth in Myanmar. While these nonprofit post-secondary programs exist
independently across the country,
they often have a lot in common.
Students are in their late teens and
20s, and most come from civil-society
backgrounds. They study on intensive
year-long programs that have a strong
focus on English and social studies.
English can get people out of the
world they live in. It can open their
minds, so they can see the real world,
says Thomas, head teacher at the Pinnya Tagar Academy in Myitkyina.
The academy runs two-year
English and social studies programs
for youth from around Kachin State.
It has a strict English-only policy for
the first year Thomas notes that
English is not only useful for accessing a wider breadth of knowledge, but
also gives speakers access to better
job opportunities, particularly in the
development sector.
In Yangon, Kantkaw Education
Centre is one of the first non-profit
post-secondary institutes, having run
courses since 2009. The centre, part of

Thabyay Education Foundation, takes

around 60 students a year. These students come from all over the country
and arrive for a year-long course of
English, social studies and critical
thinking. The program started as a
means to help students access international scholarships, by giving them
the English and general education
needed to apply. While scholarships
are still a goal last year six students
won places at international universities the program now focuses on the
larger objective of giving a new generation of Myanmar civil society the
professional skills necessary to gain
meaningful employment, particularly
in the NGO and INGO sectors.
There is a need in the development sector for students educated
in subjects like English and social
science who also have critical thinking skills. We see ourselves as like
a development-based liberal arts
program for Myanmar, explains Zin
Mar Oo, director of programs.
The Level Up program, in Loikaw,
Kayah State, is another example of
community-based post-secondary
education. Each year a group of 30
students is chosen from around
Kayah State to attend the two-year
multi-disciplinary courses.
The principal, Elis, explains the
need for such courses: After students
finish high school, they need more
skills and confidence to get a job or
to go for further studies. Even if they
only go back to work for their communities, they still need more skills.
Level Up alumni have gone on to
work as teachers, public health officials and NGO workers, and Elis notes
how their course helps with social
mobility for those in development
fields. Now they can get higher posi-

Graduates and guests attend a graduation ceremony at Kantkaw

Education Center. Photo: Supplied/Thabyay Educational Foundation

tions and be a part of their organisations planning and decision-making.

Nationally, the number of students
taking these courses is relatively
small compared to the private sector,
and places are competitive. However,
the impact can be wide as there is a
focus on giving back to communities. Students are encouraged to see
their educational development both
as a means of achieving personal
goals and as a tool for community
development.
Our students are from marginalised communities, for example IDP

Practical learning
is good, because
if we dont know
how to apply what
we learn to real
life then its not as
effective.
Shwe Yee Oo
Kantkaw graduate and NGO worker
areas or low-income families, and
have community work experience,
such as those involved with development or volunteer work, says Zin Mar
Oo. After they attend here, they are

motivated to better serve the community back home.

Thomas from Pinnya Tagar also
notes how the content of their program
has an outward focus on learning.
When alumni become professionals,
they can benefit their communities.
For example, in social science we teach
about gender issues but we also teach
about how to apply knowledge of gender to real-life situations.
As these programs are independent, they offer a greater degree of
flexibility in course design than the
private or public sectors. Most of the
programs have incorporated experiential learning into their courses,
a way of engaging students through
activitity rather than simply reading
or discussion. The concept of experiential learning has a long history:
One of the earliest advocates was
Confucius, who famously said, I hear
and I forget; I see and I remember; I
do and I understand.
Despite many being convinced of
its benefits, theres a certain irony that
experiential learning is popular among
educational theorists but so far has
yet to be widely adopted in practice.
Nowhere is this more true than in
Myanmar, where rote learning is still
widely used as a method of instruction.
A lot of the educational programs
in the non-profit sector, however,
believe there is a benefit to practical
learning and have incorporated it into
their courses. Pinnya Tagar and Level
Up both have community development modules, where students study
subjects such as project management

and then develop and implement

their own community projects.
Kantkaw also has a similar program. For one semester, students do a
service learning project. After being
trained in class, they go to work with
community partner organisations
across the country, usually on education and awareness-raising projects.
Shwe Yee Oo studied at Kantkaw
in 2012, and after graduation went
on to work for local and international
NGOS. She recalls the benefits of
experiential learning: I worked in
Mon State with Pa-O, Karen and Mon
ethnic groups there. I was teaching
them but I was also learning from
them too. Practical learning is good,
because if we dont know how to apply what we learn to real life then its
not as effective.
As the Myanmar government starts
the long process of national educational reform, what is the future of
these programs? Some may wish
to partner with public institutions;
others may become private schools;
still others may wish to remain independent. Whatever they choose, its
clear that such programs currently
are not merely filling the gaps, but
creating new ways of educating, with
innovative curriculums and learning
methods which have set standards
high and could be a model for further
education programs nationally.
Ewan Cameron is an Educational
Policy Fellow at Thabyay Educational
Foundation. He can be reached at
ewancameron@thabyay.org

10

For Chin
dialects, a
long road
back to the
classroom
BILL OTOOLE
botoole12@gmail.com

ALKING around Falam, the

former capital of Chin State,
a person can expect to hear
no less than eight different Chin
dialects widely spoken around town.
However, there is one place where
these languages are entirely absent:
the schools.
Prior to 1948, all basic education
classes in the state were conducted
in Chin language. But after
independence, Prime Minister U
Nus government pushed Burmese
as the national language, relegating
minority languages to a single class
taught in basic education schools.
Since the early 1990s, teaching of
Chin or any other ethnic minority
language in state schools has been
banned outright by the central
government.
Today, with the Ministry of
Education embarking on an
ambitious but controversial plan
to reform the nations education
system, Chin teachers and activists
are cautiously optimistic that they
may, after more than 60 years, be
able to bring their native tongue
back into the classroom.
A law regarding the teaching of
minority languages has been put
forward as an amendment to the
education law passed by parliament
earlier this year, but the upper and
lower houses have yet to debate the
measure.
A copy of the amendment
obtained by The Myanmar Times
provides little information as to
when or how minority languages
will be integrated, saying only that
they will be allowed in minority
areas after students have mastered

Charting the rise

of English tutors
From two to 2000 ... and counting
ALASDAIR MACMILLAN
alibmac@gmail.com
Children study after dark in a village in northern Chin State. Photo: Phyo Thiri Aye

the ministry-approved Myanmar

language. It further states that
decisions regarding which languages
to teach will be decided by state or
region ministers.
The Ministry of Educations offices
in Nay Pyi Taw and in state capital
Hakha did not respond to requests
for comment last week.
Salai Van Gyi, a retired member
of the Falam education department,
said that academics and other
old-timers like himself are ready to
start teaching and designing classes,
but the parliaments dithering is
holding back progress.
[The law] is up to them. Maybe
something will happen after the
election, he said.

There should be
research programs
focused on how
many languages
we have and
which ones are
appropriate to teach
. . We really need the
government to
allocate the budget.
Salai Van Gyi
Retired education official,
Falam, Chin State

Beyond legal concerns, the sheer

number of dialects and variations
on the language found in Chin
State poses unique challenges for
designing a workable curriculum
across the state.
In Chin State, there is disagreement
over how many dialects we even
have, said Salai Bawipi, an executive
director with non-profit NGO the Chin
Human Rights Organization. He said
that among academics from different
towns, debate continues over even
minor points in the written script.
Like Salai Van Gyi, he was quick to
praise the church groups and other
volunteers who have continued
teaching Chin languages in Sunday
schools and other extracurricular
venues since the 1990s ban, but said
that these groups simply dont have
the resources preserve every dialect.
In particular, Salai Bawipi said that
the less populous tribes in the state,
such as the Khumi and Naga subgroups, often lived in communities
that were beyond the reach of the
church groups and volunteers
who have continued to teach Chin
languages outside the classroom.
Speaking to The Myanmar Times,
he said that resolving these issues
would require more support from
the state and Union education
ministries, beyond just changing
the law. There should be research
programs focused on how many
languages we have and which ones
are appropriate to teach, which are
most relevant, he said. We really
need the government to allocate
the budget.
If the government doesnt allow
[official] teaching and support
multilingualism, he added, I dont
think these dialects will last much
longer.

HE recent history of English

tutoring in Yangon started in
the 1950s, when Monica Mya
Maung, affectionately known as
Aunty Monica to those who knew
her well, started tutoring Myanmar
people to speak English well. She was
an English woman who married a
Myanmar local and devoted her life
to this country.
No doubt there were a few Myanmar tutors teaching English as well
at this time, but mastery of English
was not a priority for most people at
that time and salaries for tutors were
not very high.
In the 1980s, an Anglo-Indian lady,
who asked her students to address
her as Rosair, also began tutoring in
Yangon, and a few of her students
now tutor in the former capital.
Monica Mya Maung and Rosair
are sadly no longer with us, but they
were the very beginnings of an ever
growing English Language teaching
fraternity in Yangon.
Schools
The International School in Yangon
(ISY), with mainly American teachers, catered to a well-heeled clientele
and is still probably the most soughtafter school for wealthy Myanmar
and foreign parents. There was also
the Diplomatic School, where two
American teachers were extremely
helpful in encouraging their students
to study abroad.
It was not until 1996 when the
British Council opened as a full DTO
(Direct Teaching Operation) before
that it had been used as a selfaccess centre that young Myanmar students straight out of their
10th Standard exams at public high
schools started to take an interest
in learning English. Three teachers
and one teacher trainer arrived from
Britain in April 1996 with a teacher
centre manager in September. Since
this humble beginning, the British Council has grown enormously,
offering adult, teenage and youngerlearner classes, teacher training to
both native and non-native teachers,
and exam preparation, among other
things.
The American Center also provided skills courses at that time,
especially in writing and public
speaking, and is still running.
The year before, in 1995, the
Myanmar government had decided
to allow private education schools to
run alongside the national curriculum Basic Education public ones,
teaching foreign curriculum. The
first organisation to take advantage
of this ruling was ILBC, which today
has primary and secondary schools
throughout Myanmar, staffed by
both Myanmar and foreign teachers.
At the same time or shortly
afterwards ILBC was joined by Crane
School and then progressively by
MIS, MISY, ISM, YIS, Pride International, Brainworks, Total, NIEC, ALBA,
YES, and more recently The British
School, Pun Hlaings Harrow School

and Shichida Myanmar, the latter of

which caters to very early learners.
In addition, it was possible for
private adult language schools to
open from about 2009. The first of
these was Nexus, followed in 2011
by Edulink Australia. Both of these
organisations have now branched
out into young learners or providing
Myanmar businesses with muchneeded corporate English skills for
their employees, as well as catering
to the swelling numbers of students
who want to travel abroad to study
and therefore need a good IELTS
band score to do so. In fact, it would
be fair to say that the number of
IELTS courses run by various schools
and organisations is, alongside everincreasing young learner classes, the
focal growth potential in Myanmar.
Nevertheless, demand for Business
English courses is also very much on
the rise.
Tutors
If students cannot attend regular
classes, or desire more time with a
teacher, then this becomes the job of
an English tutor. In Yangon now there
at least 800 Myanmar tutors teaching
English, as well as just a sprinkling of
foreigners brave enough to face the
uncertainties of freelance work in an
essentially unreliable environment.
What is meant here is that Myanmar is still not at the income levels
of China, Vietnam or even Thailand,
where parents will pay ever increasing fees to get the very best teachers
for their children. Therefore, the
foreign tutor in Yangon may want to
charge the going rate, but quite often
may have to lower the fee in order to
get the customers to show any interest. Moreover, there is the issue of
high rent for apartments and houses,
not to mention the constant struggle
to get anywhere in the often-gridlocked Yangon traffic.
Why a class? Why a tutor?
In a class, students have a lot of fun
learning together, and provided they
have a well-trained teacher they will
eventually do well enough to achieve
their dreams of getting a new job or
going abroad to study.
A tutor, in contrast, offers more
individual learning time with a qualified teacher, who will have more opportunity to concentrate on correct
pronunciation and intonation, rather
than just grammar and vocabulary
learning, which so often happens in
bigger classes (although not necessarily at all the centres mentioned
above).
While a plethora of English training opportunities await the aspiring
English student in Yangon, the advice
of this teacher is to talk to your prospective centre or tutor about exactly
what you hope to get out of your
class, to ensure the experience will
be worth the money you put down.
Alasdair MacMillan teaches in Yangon. All opinions are his own, and he
apologises in advance for errors or
omissions.

11

Lining up for
private schools

Students write exams at KMC private school in Mandalay. Photo: Supplied

Since their reintroduction three years ago, private schools have been a hit
PHYO WAI KYAW
pwkyaw@gmail.com

HEN private schools were

first allowed in Myanmar
in August 2012, for the first
time in half a century, Myanmars
public education system appeared
to be letting down its students: not
just in quality but in quantity. The
system offered five years of primary
school, four years of secondary
school and two years of high school.
Singapore ranked at 26th on the
UNs Human Development Index
that year, compared to Myanmars
149th offers a 6-4-3 system, with
education mandatory to the highschool level. And while systems
in Australia and the US differ by
district, on average students in those
countries receive two more years
of schooling than children do in
Myanmar.
The decision to allow private
schools back into Myanmar, for
the first time since private schools
were nationalised in 1965, was
therefore an important shake-up
to address inadequate educational
opportunities stifling the countrys
children its future leaders. While
international schools, teaching
foreign curriculum, had been
operating for some time, only the
ultra-rich could afford them and
for those unlikely to pursue further
education or jobs abroad afterward
they made a poor bet. Private
schools, on the other hand, offered
an alternative, teaching the required
core Myanmar curriculum but also
offering extra focus on English, as
well as more diversity in teaching
enriched subjects such as music or
sport, plus smaller class sizes (and
hence lower student-teacher ratios)
than their public counterparts.
All this happens, on average, at a
fraction of the cost of international
school fees: A year of private
enrollment costs around K500,000
for primary school, K800,000 for
secondary school and K1,000,000 for
high school. Its still too much for
most, but reasonably accessible for
the urban middle class.
In the first year of allowing
private schools, 66 schools opened
nationwide. The next year, 46 schools
opened, with a further 69 schools
the next. In addition to the 160

now operating nationally, for the

coming year Yangon Region alone
has received 100 applications to
open new private schools a sign
of the swelling demand for these
institutions.
KMC private school in Mandalay
was among the first batch of private
schools to open, having been granted
a five-year permit, the longest
offered (two-year permits and
one-year trial permits may also be
awarded to institutions, with reviews
happen at the end of the term to
assess renewals).
KMC founder U Khin Maung
Cho told The Myanmar Times last
week that private schools should be
more than just private equivalents
of public schools. Rather than just
preparing students to pass exams
with distinction, he said, private
schools should also guide students

160

The number of private schools

currently licenced nationwide. A
further 100 have applied to open
next year in Yangon Region alone
toward becoming good people who
can better serve their communities.
To this end, KMC offers not only
core curricular subjects but also
classes for sports, music, personal
relationships and so forth, he said.
There are some children who are
outstanding players at sports and
music despite not earning applause
in curricular subjects. But first place
is not just for class or for curricular
subjects; you can be a winner in
other areas, U Khin Maung Cho
said.
A school is a place where children
are developed and raised beyond
their natural talents, even when they
have difficulties learning.
He said a teaching system
which focuses on exam grades
alone disrupts the true potential of
education, which particularly needs
to be nourished in younger years.
We try to have our students earn
distinctions in the high-school level,
but we give priority to multi-role
development in earlier grades, he
said.
With English as a dominant

global language, private schools are

focusing on it increasingly, to enrich
students opportunities by creating
bilingual graduates.
English is the focus in the
teaching. The higher the grade,
the more obvious this is. In big
private schools, it becomes quite
obvious they give more priority to
English than before. Some private
schools sign memorandums of
understanding with international
schools. Although local teachers
were once the only teachers hired
in my school; now native English
speakers are being hired also, said U
Khin Maung Cho.
In handing out permits, the
government is known to assess
a number of factors, including
facilities such as the playground, the
library, student numbers, teaching
equipment and laboratories. Private
schools are supposed to have at least
300 students, though U Khin Maung
Cho said enforcement on this metric
is sometimes lax, something he
criticises.
If a school does not reach the
stated requirements, I wish they
would not allow that school to open.
I wish they would not give permits
easily to increase the number of
private schools. Another controversy
in private schooling, he said, is
that some students enroll for show
without attending in reality. These
are facts which could destroy private
schools. Schools should warn each
other, he said.
Some private school founders told
The Myanmar Times said they face
trouble getting permits in time for
the enrollment period.
At the same time, the inverse
problem also occurs, in which
some new schools hire premises
and equipment before securing a
permit, then continue to accept
enrollments in advance, not giving
families sufficient notice if they do
not receive a permit to open, leaving
students high and dry when it comes
to taking exams at the end of the
semester.
Ma May Thu Myint, founder of Pan
Pyo Khin private primary school in
Taunggyi, said schools should not
just be taking money no matter
how good the potential of private
schools may seem to be.
Translation by Kyawt Darly Lin

Completely outdated

Clinical psychologist Dr Nyi Win Hman speaks

to MT editor Myo Lwin by email from Australia
How important is it for teachers to
understand educational psychology?
Apart from infrastructure and other
human and financial resources,
understanding psychology and
behaviour is most important in
teaching-learning, especially for
young children from pre-primary up.
This is why post-graduate training
for teachers includes various courses
on psychology, such as child, school,
educational psychology, etc. Teachinglearning is most crucial in a persons
life, as that determines their future
life and success.
What needs to be addressed?
UNICEFs 2012 study [Situational
Analysis of Children Study, with
the Ministry of Planning] provides
hard data on the insufficiency of,
amongst other things, the number
of teachers, as well as outdated/
outmoded teaching methodologies.
Of course the study describes many
other very importanthealth and
social problems of children such as
malnutrition, widespread disparities
across regions, childrens rights to
health and nutrition, education,
quality of education and services, costs
of education, and so on.
How can we improve understanding
of childrens behaviour?
The utmost importance of teacher
quality is highlighted bythe case of
Finland, which has the best basic
education in the world.Itselects and
employs the best-quality teachers,
who are very competitive. Most have
masters degrees. These teachers
generally earn more than recently
graduated medical doctors.
The fundamental purpose
ofeducation is to promote and
develop critical, analytic thinking
in both children and adults. Its not
pushing information and facts down
childrens throats in atop-down
fashion. The only way to improve
the quality of teaching is to provide

many short-term refresher courses to

teachers from all states and regions
on a long-term basis.
How do you judge Myanmars
education system?
In terms of teaching/learning
methodology, ourentire education
system process from pre-primary and
primary to tertiary (higher education)is
completely outdated/outmoded.
Students are passive recipients rather
than active participants. (See more on
this in my Myanmar Times article on
higher education published about two
years ago.) As well, the assessment of
students is outmoded. This is especially
true in the basic education sector.
How do you see the mental health of
children here? Any common disorders?
There are no specific studies on
mental health (MH) of students. The
UNICEF study mentioned above
concentrated on physical health
problems and needs of children.
However, a World Health Organization
AIMS (assessment instrument for
mental health system) study in
2006 mentioned different kinds of
mental disorders found in facilities in
Myanmar. This study indicated that
in out-patient settings there were
children who suffered from neurotic
disorders (ie, less serious/severe),
as well as schizophrenia, which is
a severe disorder. In thein-patient
setting (most probably referring to
general hospitals) schizophrenia and
substance abuse including alcohol
disorders were reported. In a mental
health hospital setting, schizophrenia
and mood disorders (depression,
etc) were reported. To summarise,
children were found to suffer from
the usual range of mental disorders.
It is important to note that substance
abuse, including of alcohol, was
reported. As drug abuse is widespread,
especially among those who are poor,
thisis expected to be a major problem
in older school-age children.

12

For those who aspire to study abroad...

Having earned a university degree at home followed by two abroad all three under scholarship
San Tun Aung offers advice to those looking to make their way in the educational world

OR almost 10 years, I worked in the

civil service as an editor with the
News and Periodicals Enterprise
under the Ministry of Information. I
held an MSc in mathematics from the
University of Yangon, but I felt I needed
more knowledge and formal education
relevant to my field of work.
I therefore left government service
and went to work in Bangkok at
universities teaching English. One
day I hoped I would get admission
to a post-graduate program on a
scholarship. After three years, I
was granted a scholarship from
the International University of
Japan to study for an MA. I had
the option of pursuing an MBA or
MA in international relations, or
international development. As it
was not my intention to work in
the business field, I opted out of the
MBA. My mathematical background
also gave me confidence in choosing
international development.
Through the international
development program, I studied
international political economy,
statistics, mathematics,
microeconomics, macroeconomics
and econometrics, among other
topics. International political
economy, an interdisciplinary field,
draws mostly on political economy,
political science and economics, and
may also include sociology, history,
and cultural studies.
As I was studying at an
international university, my fellow
students came from different parts
of the world and had different
educational and career backgrounds.

what I used to earn in Myanmar,

including the income I earned
moonshining as a private tutor.
However, I still felt my mission
for further education was not fully
fulfilled. After having worked for six
or seven years I decided to apply for
a scholarship to pursue a doctoral
degree. I discussed the matter with
my spouse and two children I was
already in my late 40s at that time
and told them that in my 50th year
I would apply for a scholarship to
pursue a doctoral degree. But I also
said it would be the last year I would
make such an attempt. Fortunately or
unfortunately, I got a full scholarship
to study for a PhD in sociology at the
University of Hawaii.
I was awarded the degree after only
nine semesters, but that stretched
out over seven years. The monthly
stipends and other allowances
covered mainly my expenses in the
States; I also returned home every
summer and in addition took a
couple of leaves of absence to stay
longer with my family and to earn
enough money to sustain my family
in my absence. We could not spend
extravagantly during this period: It
was really a hard time for all of us
and I must express my thanks to all
my family members, who underwent
many hardships during those years.
Having completed my goal of
pursuing higher education to the
doctorate level abroad, I have several
suggestions for those would like to do
the same. These tips will benefit those
looking to study in other countries as
well as those remaining here.

Photos: Aung Htay Hlaing

Besides what I learnt from lectures,

books, journals and the internet,
informal discussions with friends and
faculty members widened the scope
of my knowledge.
In Myanmars job market, those
who can speak and write well in
a foreign language are considered
an asset to their organisation. An
advanced degree from a foreign
country, then, is a big plus when
trying to land a good job, especially
with a foreign company or an
international organisation. However,
for those who are too smart, it could
be a different story, as they may find
they are considered over-qualified for
the kinds of jobs on offer.
Studying for another masters
degree improved my financial
conditions. My monthly stipends,
which I enjoyed while studying in
Japan, as well as the salaries I earned
in the country following the awarding
of the degree were much more than

Preparing for undergraduate

programs
For students at state or private
schools whose language of instruction
is Myanmar but want to continue
tertiary education abroad, here is my
advice:
Try to be good at mathematics.
Myanmar students face difficulties
abroad, especially in their early
semesters because of the education
system they have been through here.
Improve your analytical and logical
reasoning skills. For students who are
in the lower and higher secondary
grades (Grades 6-10), you might
want to try answering some of the
following:
1. It takes 6 cubes to build a staircase
with 3 steps. How many cubes will be
needed for 11 steps?
2a. True or false: The opposite sides of
a parallelogram are parallel to each
other.

2b. True or false: The opposite sides of a

trapezoid are parallel to each other.
2c. True or false: A square is also a
parallelogram and a rhombus.
3. Ma Ni runs faster than Ma Phyu but
slower than Ma Nyo. Who runs the
slowest?
4. The length and width of a rectangle
are integers. The perimeter is 20m.
Which such rectangle has the largest
area?
5. A box contains 14 packages. Each
package weighs 3lb or 4lb. The total
weight of the box is 47lb. How many
of each type of package are in the
box?
6. In a class of 30 students, 21 can
name all the continents of the world,
23 can name all the major oceans
of the world, and 4 can do neither.
How many can name both? (Solve by
drawing a diagram.)
For those whose curricula do not
cover the topics mentioned above,
you might want to familiarise
yourselves with that kind of
mathematical problems by reading
texts or supplementary books on
mathematics being taught abroad
or at international schools here. If
you spend time working out such
problems which are suitable to your
age, soon after taking your grades
8 and 9 final exams and before the
start of the next academic year, you
will not be much behind others while
studying abroad for a college degree.
Also make sure not to shun long
mathematical problems in those
texts and supplementary books. For
those studying for final matriculation
exams, however, it would be best to
throw yourself into those rather than
looking at extra-curricular studies.
Needless to say, try to be good at
English. If you have taken your grades
8 or 9 final exams, try to read books in
English meant for children, especially
during your summer holidays. You
might need someones assistance or
guidance. Also try to cultivate a habit
of using a monolingual dictionary
during those years.
Try to read as many books as you
can on the following reading series
and other abridged editions and
childrens literature: the Ladder series;
the Ladybird series; the Blueberry
series. I am not quite sure if the
Ladder series of American English
stories are available now or not,
though there were many during our
childhood days.
During my childhood, my late
father forced us to listen to BBC
English radio lessons as well as the
VOAs news in special English and
its words and their stories. I regret
that I was not able to persuade my
own children to do the same, for such
radios shows offer excellent learning
opportunities for free. I wish I had
been more dictatorial in dealing with
my children when they were younger.
Preparing for post-graduate
programs
If you are applying to post-graduate
programs together with some kind
of financial aid, you will generally be
asked to write two kinds of essays.
You will be expected to write a
personal statement, detailing why you
wish to enroll in the programme and

institution you are applying

for, as well as outlining
your career plans after
completing the programme.
Educational institutions
abroad generally expect
you to return to your
country of origin
after graduation and
play your part in
bringing about its
development.
You will also
need to write
a research
proposal
form. One of
the most

important requirements for obtaining

the degree you are pursuing is to
complete a thesis/dissertation of
high quality. You therefore may need
to arrive at the institution with a
clear proposal for your research.
Sometimes schools provide an outline
for a research proposal; if so, strictly
follow it. You can always change the
topic of your thesis or dissertation
once you arrive at the institution
in fact, its almost expected it will
change once the time comes to begin
writing it, based on what you have
learned in the interim.
The following are my suggestions
for those seeking entrance to, and
scholarships for, graduate study.
Try to write in academic fashion,
especially when composing your
research proposal. To do that, read
articles, particularly from peerreviewed journals, which nowadays
should be made available from open
sources even if you have no links to
a research or academic institution,
and emulate the style of writing
found there. Do not, however, simply
copy-and-paste the writing or change
a few words here and there in them:
Plagiarism is not forgiven under any
circumstances, and ruins academic
and professional careers.
Institutions or scholarships may
have their own biases. They may
prefer to award spots to people from
certain countries at certain periods of
time, or be in favour of those who have
studied certain subjects and or worked
with certain types of organisations. Be
aware of those biases and try to align
yourself with them.
Nowadays, people have a fancy
for things quantitative. A better
knowledge of mathematics will help
you to follow lessons on statistics,
micro and macro economics. For
those who want to study computer
science, a good knowledge of discrete
maths will go a long way.
To increase your knowledge of
current events and international
affairs, try to visit regularly the

websites of The New York Times, The

Economist and similar internationally
regarded, strictly edited publications,
not just blogs.
To improve your listening skills,
try to watch films and TV series
with correct English sub-titles. In
some DVDs available in our country,
the subtitles may not be accurate.
Through friends and contacts, locate
shops where such quality versions are
available.
To improve your writing skills,
attend a class or engage a private
tutor.
When applying to schools and
scholarships, dont give up easily.
You might have to make many
applications perhaps up to 40 or 50
or even more.
If you have an option, try to choose
a university which has different
colleges under it. Then you will have
an opportunity to cross-register
for courses which are not available
in your own department or at the
college at which you are studying.
Form a study group. When I was
studying in Hawaii, I studied with
three others, and it helps to reinforce
your knowledge.
Whatever your choices, though, try
to spend more hours on self-learning.
There is a saying that self-taught is
the best-taught you should read,
write and think as much as you can,
inside and outside the classroom.
I would always encourage the
young and not-so-young to continue
their education whenever in a
position to do so. But start early, and
if you are going to do it in your 40s or
50s, think twice if you have to leave
your immediate family behind.
San Tun Aung is research director
at Myanmar Survey Research. He
holds an MS in mathematics from
the University of Yangon, an MA in
international development from the
International University of Japan,
and a PhD in sociology from the
University of Hawaii.