Union Minister of Education attends 39th UNESCO General Conference

November 5, 2017

A Myanmar Delegation consisting of Dr Myo Thein Gyi, the Union Minister of Education, U Han Thu, Myanmar’s Ambassador to France, and Prof. Dr. Kyi Shwin from Yangon University of Foreign Languages and the Secretary General of Myanmar UNESCO Commission attended the UNESCO General Conference held in Paris.

Dr Myo Thein Gyi attended the senior minister meetings on 1 November and attended a breakfast meeting led by UNESCO Secretary General Ms. Irina Vokova and other Ministers of Education from UNESCO countries on 2 November.

At the meeting, the Union Minister discussed and explained Myanmar’s policies and strategies to achieve UNESCO’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). The Union Minster also gave a speech on Myanmar’s National Policy and explained the outline of the National Education Strategic Plan 2016-2021 in accordance with UNESCO’s SDG. The National Education Strategic Plan includes policies to ensure no one is left behind and all children receive the opportunity to get education. Free education from kindergarten to high school is one of the goals and during the 2017-2018 education year there was a 98.1 per cent attendance in kindergartens across Myanmar.

The Union Minister said there have been special classes for students with vision and listening impairments and around 49 ethnic languages were being taught in their respective regions. The Ministry of Education has also established a Department for Extracurricular and Lifelong Learning and has changed the education system to a KG+12 grade system. The ministry is also developing a new deep learning curriculum to replace the old rote learning system and is collaborating with other countries for student and teacher exchange programs. One such program is the Strategic Partnerships for Higher Education Innovation and Reform (SPHEIR) with the British government.

State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has announced that technological and vocational skills will become a first grade education and the Diploma for teachers will be changed from a 2-year course to a 4-year course. The Union Minister also expressed his gratitude to UNESCO for the inclusion in the World Heritage List and sharing of new communication and transport technologies.

The Union Minister and delegates attended the UNESCO International Institute for Education Planning on 2 November and discussed plans for conducting skill development workshops for educators and teachers in Myanmar.

The Union Minister also attended the UNESCO Education Commission meeting on 3 November.

The Delegation led by the Union Minister returned to Myanmar on 5 November.

Ministry of Education

Ref; The Global New Light of Myanmar