While the 2021 has ushered in new hopes in overcoming the COVID-19 pandemic as case numbers begin to fall and vaccines are offered, several developing countries, including Myanmar are facing an uphill task of rebuilding the economy and the society.
Though not severe, the second and third waves of the pandemic are still creating road blocks for the recovery.
While the health care sector has been on the forefront in managing the pandemic, the education sector is yet to come to terms of overcoming the disruptions in the learning opportunities of for children. The Global Education Monitor (GEM) Report 2020, released by the UNESCO points out that ‘over half of the world’s student population still affected by full or partial school closures’. It estimates that on average 100 school days have been lost by each student globally during the last academic year. While Myanmar’s children too faced similar disruptions and it is also opportunity to accelerate reforms that would
ensure inclusive education, meeting the aspirations of all sections of population.
The Global Scenario
Situating children’s education in the context of COVID-19 pandemic and its containment measures, GEM warns that education opportunities continue to be unequally distributed. Barriers to quality education are still too high for too many learners. The GEM report titled “Recover and Revitalize Education for the COVID-19 Generation' was released on the 25 th Jan’21 across various parts of the world. The report emphasises the need to mobilize intellectual and financial resources to overcome the challenges posed by the COVID-19 disruption and address profound pre-existing structural issues.
“In 2020, the pandemic resulted in an unprecedented global learning disruption and school closures affected over 1.6 billion learners in over 190 countries. As the virus resurges, around 1 billion students continue to be affected by the full or partial closure of schools and universities, increasing the risk of learning loss, dropping out of education and social isolation.”
UNESCO report exhorts that “it is the time to power education by stepping up collaboration and international solidarity to place education and lifelong learning at the centre of the recovery.”
Recognizing that the Governments everywhere moved swiftly to offer alternative solutions, but at least one third of the world’s students were not able to access remote learning, while it is estimated that those in low-and lower-middle-income countries have lost nearly four months of schooling compared to six weeks in high-income ones. Digital inequalities along with economic and social inequalities have amplified the crisis and has put a generation of students at risk, especially those from low income families and from the least developed countries. The pandemic has also demonstrated the need for resilience of the education system to become more inclusive, flexible and sustainable. It has shown the capacity of systems to innovate, expanding the frontiers of learning possibilities.
Myanmar Situation
GEM 2020 provides interesting data in relation to Myanmar in terms of education achievements, challenges and opportunities. Locating them within the context of COVID-19 recovery as well as broader education reforms proposed by the Government is important as the second term of the NLD government is expected to accelerate human resources of the country to propel into a developed country status. MSDP has also provided ambitious targets in the education sector.
While there is universal primary school enrollment and completion has been achieved, Myanmar has comparatively high levels of dropout and inequities in access and completion of lower and upper secondary grades is especially acute among ethnic minorities areas compared to the rest of the country.
Inaccessible areas like Rakhine, Chin and Shan demonstrate high levels of drop out and non-completion of primary, lower secondary grades by children.
For holistic development of children early childhood education and development is vital and on this count, Myanmar has the task of ensuring universal pre primary education and home based early stimulation of infants to be in place across the country. Benefits of early childhood education have been multifaceted as they ensure physical and psychosocial well- being of the children and their future learning. Given the income and wealth inequalities, children from poor families do not access such opportunities. For example for Myanmar shows that while 30 per cent of children from poor families access ECCD services, the same stands at around 80 per cent among children from richer families. Similarly early childhood education access is more in urban areas compared to rural areas. There is a need for creating access to ECCD services in order to ensure effective future learning.
Education burden in terms of poorest families and marginalized groups (ethnic and religious) having relatively more number of children to be schooled is an interesting interpretation of the data that emanates from the enrolment and completion of education. In Myanmar, too this reality exists, as rural, ethnic minorities have relatively higher numbers of children to be educated, which would mean that the system has to ensure adequate financing for the same. Non-universal coverage of school health and sanitation appears to be an issue in Myanmar.
Inclusive Education
Across developing countries, adequate financing of education is also a cause of concern.
While Myanmar government has increased spending over the past few years, the need outstrips the allocations. This is especially so in addressing issues of education among ethnic minorities and children with disabilities.
Focusing on issue of equity and inclusion, GEM identifies the need for inclusivity in education, especially of children with disabilities, from ethnic minorities and religious minorities and from inaccessible areas. Apart from ensuring legal and institutional arrangements for ensuring inclusion, and removal of barriers, GEM advocates for allocation of ‘adequate funding that fosters inclusivity in learning environment for all learners as well as targeted funding to follow the furthest behind as early as possible’. It states, “Equity and inclusion will not be achieved without adequate funding reaching schools and students according to need”. Inclusive education also requires enormous amounts of coordination across different line departments and functionaries.
Myanmar Education Reform Challenges
Few days prior to the release of UNESCO GEM report, an academic webinar on ‘The Road ahead on Education Reform: What comes next for Myanmar?
Organized by IDRC Canada has brought out interesting perspectives on the way forward for Myanmar in terms of education, seeking a new future. Marshaling evidences of over 15 years of research, Prof, Marie Lall of Institute of Education of University College of London identified challenges and way forward for Myanmar. As a panelist Dr. Kyaw Moe Tun of Parami Centre for Policy Research pointed out the need for autonomy and reforms in higher education and research fields in Myanmar to be a significant part of the global education system.
Two inter-related challenges that Myanmar education leadership has to overcome viz., drawing lessons from earlier reforms and ensuring that well intentioned policies are translated into actions. On these counts, Myanmar needs to do more in terms of accelerating progress of education in ethnic areas, mainstreaming monastic, ethnic and community education systems, autonomous functioning of higher education system and etc.
The critical question at this juncture is, whether Myanmar education reforms would meet the social justice goals or not.
On the access front, there are issues of challenges as only 20 per cent of enrolled primary children had pre-primary education. Under-resourced schools and low paid teachers, limited use of child-centred teaching methods and low transition-rates from primary to secondary schools are a concern. There is also a missing middle in the sense that about 40 per cent of young people who completed primary schooling did not move to secondary grades and joined in the work force. Equity in financing education, bridging different systems of education with the mainstream government system, education and language challenges of ethnic children, promoting ethnic language and culture through education and creating equal opportunities for all children are some of the long term reforms that are required.
Apart from meeting these past challenges, the COVID 19 related disruptions in educational process and learning opportunities need to be compensated on an urgent basis. The incoming NLD government has its task cut out in terms of accelerating education reforms by accommodating the voices of ethnic groups and developing an inclusive education system.
There is significant hope that the National Education Strategic Plan (NESP) II which is expected in the coming months would give greater policy direction and impetus for the education sector.
