Burmese Education for the future

 

_ by Min Khin Kyaw

Education must support development, and vice vasa. Future education plan of Burma must be the plan to shape the future of Burma toward reasonable development of both students and the country.

Burma will have to restart from scratch. For this, its education systems must suit its conditions. It must cost least but must be as productive as possible. And also its education must be public funded and equal to all. It must be affordable to the poorest family even. The plans must be simple and workable and also have rooms to improve. There will be three different categories of education: standard education level one and two, urban development and rural development.

The higher educations will be for the pursuers. This will not be funded by the governments but there will be scholarships for all talented students.

Systematic approach to education will help the people removing social burdens and enhancing their livelihoods.

Although education is expensive no matter how you arrange it, a systematic approach to education will save the money.

In the standard education level one, fact finding or talent finding is the main purpose. It will be seven years of learning – from the grade one to the grade seven. It will have three categories of developments: literacy, numeracy and education for livelihood. The students will not learn a lot but they must produce their interests and probabilities. The students will have to learn how to read and write and they will have to read a lot and write a lot. They must achieve the quality of understanding about what they read and must be able to write expressing their understanding and opinions. They must be able to produce from their heads. As young students, their reading level will be quite low but there can be tendencies for discussions, meetings, character building and personal development. Here, highly qualified educators are needed or simply it will fail.

The second main purpose in the standard education is to equip a student with life skills. Every student will learn (three) life skills only related to their real conditions. For example: if the parents of a student work in a shop or a farm or a factory, they must encourage their child to learn the skills related to their business; if the parents of a student are public servants or others such as athletics, they can choose for their child. This must be related to the facts about the talent finding.

In standard education, the second purpose will not be a high priority as the students will show many different capabilities.

This must happen within.

After seven years in level one, the student can go on to level two or may choose urban development, rural development education. If the student chooses the urban development, rural development program after standard education level one, this student does not require to do all seven years – he/she rather choose a training course for living.

Urban Development, Rural Development

There will be skills needed in urban areas, the skills for rural areas and the skills needed in both. There will be schools that give educations in these categories. In these two categories, the direct skills for income or long-term jobs will be the main purpose of teaching. Students will be learning the skills related to their parents’ businesses and available works in the areas they live in, and the possible developments in their areas in the future. This is also about related languages – English and all other ethnic languages related to the different regions.  

Students will also learn for better literacy and numeracy but this will be not for talent finding. After seven years of education, the students will be ready for real life.

However, a student can choose to go on learning other skills if the student is still too young and not ready to work; if the student started at five or six, the student will finish his seven years compulsory at twelve so he/she can stay at school for further learning but his/her condition at school will be changed. His/her education will not be funded by the governments but he can get into any courses with different categories:

1) A special category will provide the student a scholarship program for his/her qualified education,

2) If the student is not talented enough, he/she can seek for concession,

3) The student can learn part-time in literacy and numeracy as further education,

4) If the parents of a student is very poor but the student is still too young for any work, this student can go for apprenticeship,

5) The student may choose a talent finding program – this will last a few weeks and then the student may go to standard education level two.

Other Required Programs

The governments must make researches annually and get feed back information from businesses, public sectors, schools, and all others so they can provide trainings to the teachers for particular courses needed in education.

Student supports: free education, free textbooks and free healthy breakfast and lunch. (I believe the governments in Burma must invest here their best. All schools must provide healthy food. Private donations can also be sought.)

Pledges of Students: all students must pledge they will fund the public education by tax when they leave school and able to earn. They must pledge they will be ready to serve the nation as public servants.

Students should also have the right to learn a particular form of sport and art of their choice.

Public libraries must be set up in every suburbs funded by the governments and private sectors.

 

Moral and ethical education must also be provided to all students.

The governments must know the quality of the students. They must regularly check up the students, provide necessary information and supports.

The Purpose of Education

This is all about developments: to learn to be able to earn.

The students must achieve skills needed in the nation.

The student must be able to handle their own social affairs and live the a good lifestyle which suits the society.

After seven years at school, the students will be able to earn. Their skills will be recognized, their livelihood will be established and they earn and learn more. They won’t waste time and money at school for the qualifications they will not need. However, they will be supported if they want to pursue higher education.

Standard Education level two

After talent finding, the students can go on to standard education level two. They will have to learn according to their talents; or they can choose the courses they want to learn – this is about the arts and cultural related courses. This will be international standard of general arts and sciences. Students will learn all subjects: general sciences, literatures, mathematics and. other education. There will be major subjects as a combination for particular paths or courses. There will be annual exam. The students will spend (three to five years) of study on the courses they have chosen. After this, the students can go on to higher educations. A student may choose one subject only to specialize it but the student must learn subjects related to the main subject for further understanding – this is designed as the preparation for the university course.

There will be other compulsory subjects as educational purpose – the students must attend also classes for those subjects about awareness of social issues, environmental issues, health and ethics.

The Higher Education

This is not compulsory like the above three categories. The main purpose of the higher education is to produce necessary qualifications for the country from the universities. Even though the government will not fund this, as Burmese government will not be able to, there will be other possibilities of supports and helps from various sectors, such as international funds, the NGOs and the companies that need future talents for themselves, that the government will work out to get the best results. Eventually, when Burma becomes to be able to afford in funding higher education, the government must fund particular courses and universities.