My Education and My Country
(My Education and My Country)
By.
Hong Sar Channaibanya
(Australia –Myanmar Education Network)
(A discussion paper for people in Burma and NGOs)
Comments and further discussion send an email
[email protected]
My personal story for education for peace
I was born in a small village as named in Burmese Mon ‘Kuan Hla’ at the south of Moulmein city, the capital city of Mon State, in Myanmar (Burma) after Burma was ruled by the military. The village is a flat land with full of tree, rice fields and rubber plants. A big lake (pond) is located in the middle of the village by nature from it established in my great-great grandfather time as estimated in 1800s. The only one local primary school is built in my own sub-track with total of estimated 120 students with 3-4 teachers in early 1970s. I was lucky for having access to pre-school and year one in the local public school prior to relocate me to the local monastery in year two due to poverty as well as the circumstance of my family. My parents have to go to farm early morning therefore; there is no other sibling that can care me because my sister has to care my aging grandmother. I used to blame my parents for withdrawn me from the public school in early teenage year because I want to be a teacher in the public school. However, when I turned to 20, then I concluded that my parents has given me the best opportunity for learning basic language in Mon, Burmese and a little English my monk in my local village when I was 9 year old. My passion on education is inspired by my mother because she only finished primary school in her own time but she scarified to her children for better education in any possible ways. My father was appointed as local judge, security guard, village –sub track headman and secretary of the village when I was young. He is a social worker by western term. Both parents are now in late 70s and they are preserving and meditating than other life activities. This is my little journey from small village to the big city like Sydney and Canberra in my late 30s. Education is my passion for me and for others by any means. I am very fortunate that I have access to online education, vocational course and finally able to attend University in Canberra in my late 40s. It is a journey that never reached without courage and luck. My works is social and community services that improve my thinking and working with people across the board.
Burma, my native country is under-developed and under-educated people in large number. Low education across rural areas has given me greater concerns for public benefits on food, water and other livestock for farmers under treat of climate change or natural environment disaster that took place in 2004. This is my dream for my country and people of the country of under-developed country like Burma.
If a child was born in a poorly educated environment with other factors like violence, how can we expect the child has ability for better coping with life matter from social interaction to political spectrums. It is my best hope for a child to be cared, provided adequate education as a p bring as he or she could survive without misdeed in the world.
Visioning a new nation in the 21st century of Myanmar (Burma)
Myanmar is a land of peace for tranquility. Meditation for layman and monks are commonly practiced in every day. Pagoda, temples, monasteries were built in all area of villages and towns. Community cohesion is born within the social structure from early century. However, mistrust of past political events, conflict of ethnicity from early 17th century remains as stain of black mark in the mentality of our time. Oppression and racial discrimination occurred from early 18th until today. It is time that we can reflect our past and observe for our future.
Education is a foundation for nation building. It is the education sector shapes developed world like Europe and US, UK and other western nations. Education for knowing as known as ‘knowledge economy’ should be invested in Myanmar. The government has little resource unless private and other community investment is funded in under-developed country. Education sector should be placed as urgent agenda for the government. Ten to twenty years plan for this sector should be released for public interest. Public and private sectors should link and integrated as equal provider for the country. Integrated education programs are required for a new curriculum and other course works for vocational education sectors. Only educated citizen work for better service delivery and sustain local economy. It is the duty of moral leader that education for all citizens is accomplished in our time.
Introduction for Education Reform in Burma
Education is valued and rewarded in Burma’s society in many centuries. The concept of education is widely written in Burmese literature as well as other ethnic languages. Common Burmese proverbs say ‘Education is the brightest on earth’. Education earns reputation. Education makes you find good life partner. These are common wording in Burmese proverbs. The 21st education system in Burma has been transformed after it has been poor managed, designed and developed in the last over sixty years. Teachers from western countries and region have been visiting, researching and teaching in Burma since year 2000.
There are three kinds of teacher in Burma’s community. Teaching by hearing, seeing and guiding all level of knowledge in the community is regarded as teacher in common norm. The role of teacher is valued from informal to formal setting in the community. The role of formal, informal and monastic education has been investing by the rural community where many of refugee and humanitarian students are born in the country. Education is not a choice, but it is a chance in Burma for many children while education is a choice rather than a chance in Australia and other western nations. It is understood that education becomes both a choice and a chance for many of refugee backed ground children in the new system with new concept and policy on schooling. It is worth to be explored in critical assessment what makes successful and failure of the learning process for these children, young people and adult migrants in the new system. A further research, investigation and case study should be made for room of improvement in the year ahead.
This essay is based on adult learning journey in the past ten year from English class to tertiary education institution in Australia. It is not a research paper that could examine on its quality but it assess from the learning culture to the teaching system in both ways of delivering knowledge in the new environment. Teaching is a rewarding vocation in life time, but learning is never end until human needs are fully completed socially, physically and emotionally. Both teacher and learnt contribute equally in the path to reach well being of individual and family at large.
According to Xinhua news in May 2011, ‘official statistics show that the number of basic education schools in the country has increased to 40,679 where a total number of over 8 million students are pursuing their education under the guidance of over 266,000 teachers”. It is good news for Burma that the nation is transforming itself that could be competing in the new century in education.
Thailand-Burma based non-government organizations have been assisting with children and young people in common refugee camps for accessing and reaching education in Thailand’s system. Education for All is also widely campaigning in Thailand-Burma border areas as well as in some part of Burma / Myanmar recently that linked between providers and local communities. Reassessing the role of education sector in Burma is a much debated in recent years while most western scholars and researcher have been convinced that education has a key role to play in a new social and political system within the country. This essay if based on own experiences as a child of Burma, and a citizen of the country by birth, but looking from both ways from internally and externally to the critical issue of teaching and learning for and with students from Burma / Myanmar in western countries like Australia.
Burma education expert Han Tin presented his finding on the Myanmar education: challenges, prospects and options concluded that ‘Myanmar education will improve only when the education and training of its young improves. Their education should be carefully planned and mapped out. This chapter has identified the various stages in the education of a child and the development of its behavior at which interventions could be made to establish habits of thoughtfulness, emotional discipline, self-management and conflict resolution. Only with such interventions will an evolutionary process begin in the mind-set of the population, making it possible for change to occur. Underpinning all this is a need for generational change, which will transform the psyche of the whole nation and enable its society to move away from a dominator type towards a more liberal and freer one’. This passage could be interpreted as a drawing line between the role and system of education in Burma and other western countries.
Jasmin Lorch, Researcher on Burma new civil society and education asserted in her finding and presentation to the Burma Update in 2009 in Canberra that said ‘an important reason for this is that Burma/Myanmar’s embryonic civil society is only rarely able to live up to donor guidelines. Religious and ethnic education systems often promote philosophies and life models that donors are unfamiliar with. Cooption often gives civil society a double identity that makes donors feel uneasy. In order to develop better strategies, however, experts, politicians and aid workers will have to broaden their perspective to encompass the social dynamics of competing, parallel, coexisting and overlapping social systems in Burma/Myanmar”. It is the test of teacher within Burma and western countries that students those whom are lived with insecurity, fear, poverty and social disadvantaged will be struggling for learning and attaining new skills unless they are adequately provided social need and mentoring them to reach their potential.
Building Community Education Program under a democratic government in Burma
Rights of teaching and learning in native language are declared under universal human rights. Teaching and learning in native language in Burma are not legally constituted under the laws. Millions of children in Burma are born from non-Burmese speaking parents. Learning native language is neither allowed nor supported in public education system in the country.
Would millions of non-Burmese children have legal rights to be learning their native language from public and community education system under the new government? This essay if based on own experiences as a child of Burma, and a citizen of the country by birth, but looking from both ways from internally and externally to the critical issue of teaching and learning for and with students from Burma / Myanmar in western countries like Australia.
Community education is a commitment of all democratic nations and governments in the world regardless of its political persuasion. Lifelong learning is a new concept in education across the world. Education for All is a new motto of the United Nations in the beginning of the new 21st century. Burma is now transforming itself toward a democratic government under its own terms of references on democracy and human rights. Over 50 million populations deserve a better access to education from primary school to hider education institutions. Community education sector has been under resourced for half of the century after Burma gained Independent in 1947.
Teaching and learning native language should be prioritised for bout public and community school system in Burma. It is basic human rights that each child has access to basic education in his / her native language.
The role of Community education has been poorly funded and structured by the government. Burma’s community education has been survived with the good will of monks under their free monastic education in the last century. This is a challenge for Burma’s new government on its thirty years education plan that recently released without public debate on its framework. A public debate on education must be put forward locally and nationally between education providers and parents. The role of parents and teachers association or parents and citizens association must be legally allowed in each local school and village. Freedom of expression on education will be improved if only freedom of debate on education is lawfully allowed among teachers and parents in the country.
Education is valued and rewarded in Burma’s society in many centuries. The concept of education is widely written in Burmese literature as well as other ethnic languages. Common Burmese proverbs say ‘Education is the brightest on earth’. Education earns reputation. Education makes you find good life partner. These are common wording in Burmese proverbs. The 21st education system in Burma has been transformed after it has been poor managed, designed and developed in the last over sixty years. Teachers from western countries and region have been visiting, researching and teaching in Burma since year 2000. Education projects are designed by non-government organisations such as ZOE Refugee Care. However, local community, especially in rural area could not sustain their own children completing secondary and high school.
The role of formal, informal and monastic education has been investing by the rural community where many of refugee and humanitarian students are born in the country. Education is not a choice, but it is a chance in Burma for many children while education is a choice rather than a chance in Australia and other western nations. It is understood that education becomes both a choice and a chance for many of refugee backed ground children in the new system with new concept and policy on schooling. It is worth to be explored in critical assessment what makes successful and failure of the learning process for these children, young people and adult migrants in the new system. A further research, investigation and case study should be made for room of improvement in the year ahead.
Teaching is a rewarding vocation in life time, but learning is never end until human needs are fully completed socially, physically and emotionally. Both teacher and learnt contribute equally in the path to reach well being of individual and family at large.
According to Xinhua news in May 2011, ‘official statistics show that the number of basic education schools in the country has increased to 40,679 where a total number of over 8 million students are pursuing their education under the guidance of over 266,000 teachers”. It is good news for Burma that the nation is transforming itself that could be competing in the new century in education.
According to official census of Union of Myanmar, the population of Mon State is 2,518,152 in 2010 and it is likely to be increased in 2011. Most Mon populations are living and working in rural as well as in Thailand during the election in 2010. The Mon State is acknowledged as one of the most developed states in Burma as adequately provided education based on varies reports. However, local farmers and adult those who missed vocational education from early 1960 and 70s are struggling for literacy and numeracy. Therefore, community education for lifelong learning, cultural preserving, musical and other arts lessons should be funded and supported both the government and donors in Burma.
Young people those who fled to border areas and Thailand missed out vocational skills from farming and other household skills. It is widely acknowledged that knowledge gap has been concerned among community leaders and monks in rural areas because young people left the village to Thailand for further seeking good income. Farming and plantation skills have been decreased among young adults in Mon State.
Thailand-Burma based non-government organisations have been assisting with children and young people in common refugee camps for accessing and reaching education in Thailand’s system. Education for All is also widely campaigning in Thailand-Burma border areas as well as in some part of Burma / Myanmar recently that linked between providers and local communities. Reassessing the role of education sector in Burma is a much debated in recent years while most western scholars and researcher have been convinced that education has a key role to play in a new social and political system within the country.
Parents Role
Parents play a key role in early childhood education and beyond. Parents are the first teacher of the children. Teachers are the guidance of teaching as second foundation after the parents. Parents have the first foundation of bonding capital with children. It is the best interest of a child that parents are part of the school and part of education environment. Burma will be facing challenge in the new education and employment sectors in the next few years. Children are not yet prepare to be competitive with regional education system like Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. Parents will be seeking further resources from the government and other private investment for local school improvement. Each community has been lacking resources and capacity in Burma’s rural areas. Teachers are less pay than urban cities that cause them for taken bribery and other in kind donation from parents. Rural teachers are also lacked to access resources in library like urban cities. Teachers have given less power than the local village headman and headwoman in rural areas. Therefore, education equity for rural children is poorly received outcomes. The role of parents and teachers should be improved morally and financially that could assist further development for rural education in Burma.
Newly elected Member of Parliament in non-Burmese states proposed for teaching and learning native language at public school. If the government of Union of Myanmar rejected this bill, millions of non-Burmese children will not be able to read, write and enjoy their native languages. It is a tragedy for the nation.
Community education for lifelong learning should be seen as a national interest rather than political motivation of each political leader and party. A democratic government of Union of Myanmar will be praised by the international community, the UNESCO and the US government only this opportunity is provided to its citizen. Education is not for some, but for all those who are willing learn to know, learn to live and learn to earn in Burma. Community education is a foundation of community development and nation building. I will be part of this journey. June 2011
Teaching and Learning within two cultures in the new system in Australia:
Sharing experiences and knowledge from Burma’s Student perspective
Introduction:
This essay rests on the premise that teaching and learning are of the upmost importance for the wellbeing of society and the individual. Teaching is not only a rewarding vocation, more importantly, learning never ends until human needs are fulfilled, socially, physically and emotionally. Both teachers and learners contribute equally in the path to reach well being of individual and family at large. This essay is based on my own adult learning journey over the past ten years, starting with my participation in English classes which then lead me to tertiary education institutions in Canberra. This is not a research paper but instead compares learning culture and teaching systems in Burma and Australia from my own experience. I also look at some trends in the education system in Burma. I aim to provide alternative perspectives to teachers in western countries, like Australia those who have close contact with children, young and adult in the formal class room. We need to share knowledge, experiences and new ideas in the teaching and learning between students and teachers from diverse cultures.
Learning is not only a journey but is also a life time commitment for each individual to shape their own destiny. Learning to earn, to work, to live and to share a common purpose is the foundation for life for a human being. Students from Burma in western education institutions need to make a learning plan from year to year as they adapt to new needs and a new environment. Teachers need to adapt to the needs of their students also. Teachers need to engage with passion, consistency and discipline as their students take time to adapt to new ways of teaching and learning in 21st century western civilisation.
Education is not a choice in Burma but a chance which is not available to all. Education is a choice rather than a lucky chance in Australia and other western nations. It is understood that education becomes both a choice and a chance for many of refugee backed ground children in the new system. It is worthwhile exploring a critical assessment of what contributes to success and failure in the learning process for these children, young people and adult migrants in the new system. Further research and investigation would be useful.
Education values in Burma
Education has been highly valued and rewarded in Burmese society over many centuries. The concept of education is widely written about in Burmese literature as well as other ethnic languages. A common Burmese proverb says that ‘Education is the brightest thing on earth’. Education earns reputation. Education makes you find good life partner. These are common concepts in Burmese proverbs. The teacher is placed equally at the same level as God (Buddha) in Burma’s culture. There is a strong emphasis on the significance of guiding a child through life for the community and nation. A child will be nurtured by teachers from early childhood through both formal and informal learning. Parents are the first teacher of a child. Teachers are then the guiders of learning outside the home environment. Parents are the master of the guidance in Burma’s society.
Teaching is a noble position in the history of Burma. According to the teaching of Buddha, a teacher is acknowledged as one of the highest quality of human beings for taking the role of teaching and guiding children. A teacher earns prominent status and public recognition in the community. Teaching was not carried out as a way of earning a living in the early history of Burma but it was rather a noble duty that people carried on from generation to another. Monks and senior community leaders were the first teachers in Burma’s early history. . It was monastic education that sustained Burma’s society in term of teaching and learning all subjects from arts to religion. Non monastic schooling only developed after British colonised the country in late 1800s.
The role of teacher is valued from informal to formal setting in the community. The role of formal, informal and monastic education is particularly important in rural communities, which is where many of refugee and humanitarian students from Burma are originally from.
Education was accessed by most of Burma’s people and literacy rates were high through the 19th century. However, this situation has declined and in many case, children from Burma have missed early childhood and primary schooling in the home country due to civil wars, armed conflicts, financial hardship and displacement in rural areas. These children and young people find it very difficult to compete with local Australian children from primary level to secondary level because many experienced a big gap in schooling. Furthermore children in Burmese schools are not taught in English in the first instance and therefore, English is not second language for many children. In fact it is more likely to be a third language in many cases.
Teacher and Student Relations:
Teacher and students relations have a strong top-down pattern in Burma from the early days of State based education institution in 1948. Teachers have absolute power over discipline and decision making about the welfare of the student regardless of the circumstance of the family and the child. Physical punishment has been a norm in schools. Most principals hold a cane in the hand when walking around the school. Furthermore, it is important to note that most teachers placed in schools over all the seven states of Burma are native Burmese speaking people. These teachers are more or less affiliated with Burman nationalism and assimilation policies of the government of the day since 1950s, which actively discourages learning ethnic languages and culture in public education system.
Teacher - parent relationships tend to be poor in term of equal decision making and any chance for parents to contribute to the policy agenda of a school. A few urban based schools have ‘Parents and Teacher Associations’. However many rural school do not have such Board for overseeing the function of the school, but rely on the good will of village headman and headwoman. Where school boards do exist they are mainly selected from rich or official from the public services those who have access to the top level while disadvantaged groups are usually marginalized. Parents those who are not satisfied with the function of the school have little space to voice his and her concerns to the principal because there is not such ‘policy and procedure’ for consultation or complaint.
Parents are not informed on a policy level but they are often asked to contribute money for school building and other school activities. School principals have few resources from government but rely on the good will of the local community. In rural areas, in some cases, school is built by the villagers. The Government only tends to send teachers on low salaries to rural villages and the teacher subsequently imposes new fees for each student that can raise funds for the school as well as for the teacher’s take home money. Teachers have not been rewarded by Government with high salary packages in spite of being highly valued by the community at large.
For refugee children on the Thai-Burma border there is some opportunity for education. Non-government organisations provide a range of programs for children and young people in most refugee camps and some have access to Thai schools or Burmese schools run outside of the camps by NGOs.
Education for All:
Meanwhile within Burma the education sector has been poorly managed and developed by government, with minimal investment over the last sixty years. This is a great shame for the younger generation of Burma and indeed for the development of Burmese society and future of Burmese society. Burma education expert Han Tin presented has concluded that changes in education of the young are fundamental to achieving broader social change. He concludes that the there is a need for generational change ‘which will transform the psyche of the whole nation and enable its society to move away from a dominator type towards a more liberal and freer one’.
Education levels in Burma were once one of the highest in Asia. However there has been a steady decay of the state education system across the country and many believe the Burma faces an education crisis in rural and urban areas. In rural areas Buddhist and Christian organisations often prop up the state education system for poor people. Another key change identified by researchers is the large increase in private schools across the country. Whilst the public education system has slowly decayed the private system is booming.
The interesting fact is that the increased private schooling is fuelling the gap in Myanmar’s authoritarian logic. The regime has let institutions decay and has not provided the resources needed to build a strong state education system. This is a short-sighted tactic, as it in effect loosens the regime’s control over society. The private sector’s education aims are profit, but they achieve this by encouraging an education system meant largely to help children leave Myanmar and study abroad. Currently, education in English is the most desirable education parents can acquire for their children in Burma.
A further issue is the weak nature of civil society in Burma and a lack of international donor funding to civil society projects, including those focused on education. Researcher Jasmin Lorch, found that Burma embryonic civil society is only rarely able to live up to donor guidelines and that “religious and ethnic education systems often promote philosophies and life models that donors are unfamiliar with”. Furthermore she identifies that the strong presence of the military junta in all public affairs makes donors feel uncomfortable. She says “Cooption often gives civil society a double identity that makes donors feel uneasy.
Such factors, alongside continuing civil war and profound political oppression, indicate that change in the education sector in Burma will be slow. On this basis, the education students receive in Western countries is an important contribution to the future of Burma. Overseas students, migrants and people from refugee backgrounds all have the opportunity to return back to Burma when time and opportunity allow them. Many children, young people and adults hope passionately to make a contribution to Burma in the future by utilising their Western education. For Western teachers, teaching is then not only rewarding on an individual level but also potentially fosters skills which will be invested in Burma’s future.
Education Network for Burma:
Fostering networks and relationships between teachers in Burma and Australia also holds potential for developing Burma’s education sector. Students from Burma regardless of race, ethnicity and social and political background have a new opportunity to change the philosophy of education delivery in Burma at the same time as they develop new knowledge, skills and qualifications from Australia. Likewise, teachers from Australia and other western countries have a golden opportunity to reach out to one of the most disadvantaged groups of student in the classroom. Education creates this opportunity.
Future Hope:
Teaching requires passion, vision and determination while learning is the commitment of each person to their own human development. Social well being begins with each individual person but a teacher is the facilitator on the journey of learning, towards greater knowledge and skill. Learning is a lifetime commitment. Teaching should not find diverse culture a barrier if there is a common interest is shared between teacher and student. A few hundred students from Burma’s origin will be graduating from various universities in Australia by 2020 and a few thousand by 2030 worldwide. They are great for their host nations as well as their country of origin. The 21st century is an era of education revolution era which we hope enables all people to reach the common destiny of peace, unity and prosperity globally.
30 May 2011 Canberra, Australia. Edited by K. Ragless
Education Rights under Democratic Principle in Burma
A cry for education for all children in rural and remote ethnic area has been heard in Burma’s media in recent weeks whilst the nation is heading to a democratic government in the 21st century. Burma’s ethnic region has been marginalised in the past half of the century due to civil war and oppression of the ruling military hardliners in modern history. I advocate both teachers in Mon State at Union of Myanmar and teacher from other countries like Australia and USA to be working with this mission; educating a child is possible. This is my own observation for further improvement of education in Mon State and in Union of Myanmar. Teacher and student from Burma / Myanmar’s origin have golden opportunity for this mission of educating a child is possible. Investment in education is the most guarantees in benefit on social and human capital in return. It is a worthy battle to call upon to the new government for social and political chance.
Local Mon member of parliamentarian (MP) and politicians have been discussing option for rights to teach native language in public education system under the new government. Education is the focal point of campaign for Mon leaders in 2011 based on the interest of the party and the community. Burma will be prospered when all children are educated in the modern time. It is a good call by Mon leaders and politicians under the principle of democratic rights within the new government. Education is the best assets for the nation. Mon and other ethnic community has an opportunity of supporting the new ‘education bills’ drafted by Mon MPs and other ethnic MPs in recent weeks. Mon MPs are well educated in early 1960s and therefore, they value the role of education and the benefit of its investment.
The role of local government in Mon State and the local Assembly has constitutional duty of fulfilling for investment on education, health and local economy. The ‘rights to education in native language’ from all children must be won in the assembly support for motion. This is a battle of truth for democracy and human rights in our own State and the whole country. This is a clever move of Mon Mps and local politicians with a sensible debate on the ‘rights to a child’ for learning his / her native language under universal declaration of human rights. The new Myanmar government will be judged on its merit whether the new parliament rejected or approved this ‘draft bills’. It is a test of new government under its promise of ‘clean and fair government’ in the new century.
Education values
Education is valued and rewarded in Burma’s society in many centuries. The concept of education is widely written in Burmese literature as well as other ethnic languages. Common Burmese proverbs say ‘Education is the brightest on earth’. Education earns reputation. Education makes you find good life partner. These are common wording in Burmese proverbs. The 21st education system in Burma has been transformed after it has been poor managed, designed and developed in the last over sixty years. Teachers from western countries and region have been visiting, researching and teaching in Burma since year 2000.
This essay is based on adult learning journey in the past ten year from English class to tertiary education institution in Australia. It is not a research paper that could examine on its quality but it assess from the learning culture to the teaching system in both ways of delivering knowledge in the new environment. Teaching is a rewarding vocation in life time, but learning is never end until human needs are fully completed socially, physically and emotionally. Both teacher and learnt contribute equally in the path to reach well being of individual and family at large.
There are three kinds of teacher in Burma’s community. Teaching by hearing, seeing and guiding all level of knowledge in the community is regarded as teacher in common norm. The role of teacher is valued from informal to formal setting in the community. The role of formal, informal and monastic education has been investing by the rural community where many of refugee and humanitarian students are born in the country. Education is not a choice, but it is a chance in Burma for many children while education is a choice rather than a chance in Australia and other western nations. It is understood that education becomes both a choice and a chance for many of refugee backed ground children in the new system with new concept and policy on schooling. It is worth to be explored in critical assessment what makes successful and failure of the learning process for these children, young people and adult migrants in the new system. A further research, investigation and case study should be made for room of improvement in the year ahead.
According to Xinhua news in May 2011, ‘official statistics show that the number of basic education schools in the country has increased to 40,679 where a total number of over 8 million students are pursuing their education under the guidance of over 266,000 teachers”. It is good news for Burma that the nation is transforming itself that could be competing in the new century in education.
NGOs role in education
Thailand-Burma based non-government organizations have been assisting with children and young people in common refugee camps for accessing and reaching education in Thailand’s system. Education for All is also widely campaigning in Thailand-Burma border areas as well as in some part of Burma / Myanmar recently that linked between providers and local communities. Reassessing the role of education sector in Burma is a much debated in recent years while most western scholars and researcher have been convinced that education has a key role to play in a new social and political system within the country. This essay if based on own experiences as a child of Burma, and a citizen of the country by birth, but looking from both ways from internally and externally to the critical issue of teaching and learning for and with students from Burma / Myanmar in western countries like Australia.
Teacher is equally placed as the level of God (Buddha) in Burma’s culture with its significant on the guide to a child, a community and a country. A child will be nurtured by teacher from early childhood by both formal and informal learning pattern in common place. Parents are the first teacher of a child. Teachers are the guidance of learning outside home environment. Parents are the master of the guidance in Burma’s society. This essay is aimed to provide alternative perspectives to the teachers in western countries, like Australia those who have close contact with children, young and adult in the formal class room. It is not a research paper for analysing positive and negative of learning outcome. It is a paper of sharing knowledge, experiences and new idea in teaching and learning within two cultures among students and teachers in the school. This essay is drawn out of personal journey to the learning in Australian tertiary education system over the past ten years while capturing the nature of teaching and learning for better opportunity.
Teaching is a noble position in the history of Burma. Burma’s scholar asserted that ‘in any country, a professional must have pride in their own profession, which has nothing to do with money, and they need to be accountable. A developing country requires more collective effort from the educated. The more professional they are the more beneficial it is for their country as professionals can help increase the quality of human capital’ said by Dr Aung Tun Thet is a professor and retired principal officer at the UN System Staff College in Turin, Italy.
According to the teaching of Buddha, teacher is acknowledged as one of the highest quality of human kind for taking the role of teaching and guiding children. Teacher has earned prominent status within the community social norm while they also deserved public recognition in the community. Teaching is not for living in early history of Burma and elsewhere but it is rather a noble duty that people carries on from generation to another. Monks and senior community leaders were the first teachers that took this role in early Burma’s history. Schooling is only operated after British ruled the country in late 1800s. It is monastic education that sustains Burma’s society in term of teaching and learning from arts to religion.
Teacher and Student Relations
Teacher and students relation is top-down pattern in Burma from early days of State education institution in 1948. Teachers have absolute power on disciplinary and making decision on social and welfare of the student regardless of the circumstance of the family and the child. Physical punishment has been a norm of the school because most principal holds cane on his hand when he walk around the school and tour the site in the school. Furthermore, most teachers are native Burmese speaking person those whom are placed in non-speaking school in seven States. These teacher, more or less are affiliated with the Burma’s nationalism toward assimilation policy of the government of the day since 1950s. In some case, school are built by the villagers, but the government only sent teacher with low salary to rural village when teacher has not much choice and subsequently imposed new fee from per student that could raise fund for school as well as for take home money.
Teachers and parent’s relationship are poor in term of equal decision making and policy agenda for the school. A few urban based schools have ‘Parents and Teachers Association’ while many rural school do not have such Board for overseeing the function of the school, but rely on the good will of village headman and headwoman. School boards are mainly selected from rich or official from the public services those who have access to the top level while disadvantaged groups are marginalized in many cases. Parents those who are not satisfied with the function of the school has little space to voice his and her concerns to the principal because there is not such ‘policy and procedure’ within the school when parents could have direct complain to the school.
UK based Education scholar on Burma and Asia, Marie Lall asserted in 2009 on her fine paper to the Burma Update at ANU in Canberra “The interesting fact is that the increased private schooling is fuelling the gap in Myanmar’s authoritarian logic. The regime has let institutions decay and has not provided the resources needed to build a strong state education system. This is a short-sighted tactic, as it in effect loosens the regime’s control over society. The private sector’s education aims are profit, but they achieve this by encouraging an education system meant largely to help children leave Myanmar and study abroad. Currently, education in English is the most desirable education parents can acquire for their children’. Lacking resource on human capital has been identified as the key failure of education sector in the country for six decades. (The paper is linked below for further reading).
Teacher has been not rewarded by the government as high salary package at home country in Burma but they are nonetheless valued by community at large. Teacher and parents with disaffected within the government’s policy implementation has been marginalised within the departmental circle. However, students have been engaging with the school activities as required by the authority. Parents are not informed the role of the principal, teacher and school board in what capacity that parent could be working with the school. Parents are less informed on the policy level but they are always asked to contribute money for school building and other school activities for instances. School principals have little resource that provided by the government but reply on the good will of local community when the demand is not met.
Education is good investment
A growing education sector is a good sign in Burma/ Myanmar in recent year. However, parents and teachers should be informed timely and appropriately to what extend that the government and education providers put system in place in terms of policy and procedure within the school system. Children from Burma / Myanmar have to remake a new learning plan both within the old culture of learning wile adopting a new way of studying in respected country.
In many case, children from Burma have been missed early childhood and primary schooling in the home country due to civil wars, armed conflicts, financial hardship and displacement in rural areas. These children and young people could not compete with local children from primary level to secondary level because they have a big gap during primary schooling age. They are not taught in English as first instance and therefore, English is not second language for many children but as third language in many cases. Schooling for this situation will be difficulties for local teachers as well as for students. Greater attention to social need, welfare of each student and family is the foundation of learning for better outcomes in these instances.
Burma education expert Han Tin presented his finding on the Myanmar education: challenges, prospects and options concluded that ‘Myanmar education will improve only when the education and training of its young improves. Their education should be carefully planned and mapped out. This chapter has identified the various stages in the education of a child and the development of its behavior at which interventions could be made to establish habits of thoughtfulness, emotional discipline, self-management and conflict resolution. Only with such interventions will an evolutionary process begin in the mind-set of the population, making it possible for change to occur. Underpinning all this is a need for generational change, which will transform the psyche of the whole nation and enable its society to move away from a dominator type towards a more liberal and freer one’. This passage could be interpreted as a drawing line between the role and system of education in Burma and other western countries.
Learning is not a journey but it is a life time commitment that each individual has to shape its own destiny. Learning to earn, to work, to live and to share common purpose is the foundation of attainment of truth of human being. Making a good plan and a learning plan from year to year and from one situation to another will be required for students from Burma in western education institutions while teacher has too adapted with the new need and environment. Engagement with passion, consistency and discipline have to master the role of teacher when students take time, phase and adapting to the new ways of teaching and learning in the 21st century in the western civilization.
Australian and other western countries should be informed that many of these children, young people from Burma / Myanmar would be returning to the home country when time and opportunity allow them for helping and teaching in various field of education, development and other business sector that improve vocational sector in the country. Teaching these children and young people is not only rewarding individual but also sustaining the community in need in terms of education, health and other economic development in the country of origin. Teachers from both countries should be fostering networking, relationship and reforming education sector based on the need of local’s population that could be addressed the shortage of education provider both in private and public sectors. It is an opportunity that these young children from Burma / Myanmar origin have the best opportunity in Australia and other western countries in which they could rebuild the valuable education sector in the country that has been poorly designed and managed in over half the century.
Jasmin Lorch, Researcher on Burma new civil society and education asserted in her finding and presentation to the Burma Update in 2009 in Canberra that said ‘an important reason for this is that Burma/Myanmar’s embryonic civil society is only rarely able to live up to donor guidelines. Religious and ethnic education systems often promote philosophies and life models that donors are unfamiliar with. Cooption often gives civil society a double identity that makes donors feel uneasy. In order to develop better strategies, however, experts, politicians and aid workers will have to broaden their perspective to encompass the social dynamics of competing, parallel, coexisting and overlapping social systems in Burma/Myanmar”. It is the test of teacher within Burma and western countries that students those whom are lived with insecurity, fear, poverty and social disadvantaged will be struggling for learning and attaining new skills unless they are adequately provided social need and mentoring them to reach their potential.
Student from Burma / Myanmar regardless of race, ethnicity and social and political background has a new opportunity of changing the mentality of ‘education’ in the country while acquiring new knowledge, skills and qualification from Australia. Likewise, teachers from Australia and other western have a golden opportunity of reaching out the most disadvantaged group of student in the classroom but not limited to one culture to another. Education creates opportunity for once and for all.
In Summary, teaching is a task of master with passion, vision and determination while learning is a commitment of each person for further human development. Social well being begins with each person but teacher is the master of the boat to reach the termination of learning at the ocean of learning. Learning if a lifetime commitment as well as teaching is not barred by one culture another while common interest is shared between teacher and student. A few hundred students from Burma’s origin will be graduating from various universities in Australia by 2020 and a few thousands by 2030 in worldwide. They are the best assets of the host nations as well as the country of origin. A 21st century is an education revolution era that everyone has a change and a choice to reach the common destiny of peace, unity and prosperity globally.
My Last Mission
My dream is simple. Every child must live in safe and without fear of any conflicts. All children must have access to basic education. All children should read and write English for their better access to training and employment by 2030. Education for living is my priority. Education for peace, prosperity and development is my second agenda. It is only educated person changes within. Social and political change must come within. It is education build community cohesion and stability. Education solved social and political conflicts as a better tool than arms. My hope is simple that I work what I can for my native place, my country of origin and my cultural links. It is my best ability on this path that other path of working for humanity and civil good. Overall, I invite my known or unknown people those who wish to be part of this journey. Education is good for all. A nation will be in peace and prosper when citizen attains better education by all means. Let’s work for civil good and for all interest regardless of race, religion, sex and ethnicity. It is humanity work for happiness and wellbeing.
Completed 16 August 2011
Key Issues to be discussed and debated on Burma’s education by 2020.
Discussion on Education Reform in Burma
Teacher and citizen association role in basic education
Formal and informal community courses
Vocational and Skills Development for rural young people
Teachers Exchange programs
Public and Private Sector Partnership
Public Funding Sources
Pathways for University for non-science degree
Promoting Teaching Languages for local ethnic school
Formal Agreement with Government and local authority
Teacher Award and remuneration packages
Linked with regional technical institute in Asia and Pacific
Federal and State Funding Agreement
Infrastructure and new investment for the nation
Rural Education Campaign 2020
Monastic – Public Education Partnership Programs
Education for All Initiative for 2030
Parents and School Committee
Students Union or Association
Teachers Union of Association
Higher Education Loan Scheme
100 Qualified Teachers by each State and Region
University for 3rd Age
Evening Course for Adult – Community Education Programs
Rural Development Centre
Rural Education Fund for poor children
Myanmar Independent Education Board
Special note
A Project Work Plan has been developed (as draft) by H. Channaibanya. A project plan can be viewed by request to my email.