1.
How would you propose a plan to prepare students in your country to work in a
different cultural, technological and economical context?
21st Century teaching and learning
for skills is essential to meet the demands of internationally developed
competitive education system all over the world. Our Education systems have to
accomplish the development of 21st Century Skills: MILE (Milestones for
Improving Learning and Education) which will ensure one’s success in today
challenging world.
Our
education system applied in the past is less favorable for the students to
comprehend the changes globally so we need to upgrade our old education system
to modernized system which enables the cultural, technological and economical
and social development of country to cover across ASEAN countries by 2015 and
globally in next few decades. We also have to grasp the Information and Communication
Technology based education system in order to level and achieve Business
opportunities in ASEAN region and International because we had suffered in the
past due to poor management in Education and hadn’t upgraded because of political
situations. Since 2010, after emergence of new democratic reform, our
government positively approach for education standard and giving much support
to level International standard. Under the leadership of democratic government,
the government made many changes especially in education to meet 21st
century education standard since 2011. So, it is very good opportunities for
our school to reform and make changes.
I would like to suggest our newly
democratic Myanmar government to prepare to narrow down the gaps in Education
systems and Information and Communication Technology between ASEAN regional
countries which are more ahead of us in terms of business and technology
advancements because the reason is the gaps in ICT make us less advantage in
global economy and communication. Making enhancement in those areas make us more
understanding, get closer looks and learn various kind of aspects especially in
culture, economy, technology among ASEAN nations as our first stepping stones for
our country’s future developments and we can move forward our new generations
(students) in International level as next step for global culture, economy and
technology in next decades.
2. What has been done by your country in each
context?
Originally,
our Myanmar (or) Burmese culture was adopted from Buddhism and Mon culture. Many
of our traditional events and ceremonies are also adopted from neighboring
countries’ traditional cultures (for example, Buddhist days and lunar events)
from India, Thailand and China. And also Myanmar has many minority ethnic
groups such as Kachin, Karen, Shan (Thai people called as Tai Yai) and Mon and
they also have their own cultures. British colonial ruling our country for more
than one hundred year made the popularity of westernized culture especially the
adaption of wearing styles become common since then. But our Burmese people and
ethnic people in Myanmar wear their own traditional dresses (such as sarong)
and celebrate their cultural festivals and events such as Myanmar New Year
water festival (i.e. Songkarn). Burmese makeup or Tanaka is the most popular
perfume and almost every woman wears Tanaka every day. Although the popularity
of modernized wearing styles or influence of westernized cultures are adopted
by new generations but we are still keeping our own traditions as prides of our
country.
In
the past time, we had done so much for cultural development the main purpose of
education in Myanmar was to produce the educated citizens who will be able to
carry out the economical and social development of our country as directed by
the project of Ministry of Education of Myanmar. However, as the technology
became more proficient all over the world and the globalization was operated
fast in present time, we need and have to update the education system which can
lead our country to meet 21st Century Skills: MILE (Milestones for Improving
Learning and Education).
We
had done in the past for those contexts but it’s not much in terms of the
situation and progress of our nation. Since, Myanmar became one of the members
of ASEAN countries in Southeast Asia region; we have to follow the education
systems and standards according to ASEAN Curriculum Sourcebook to become
regional standard education systems among ASEAN nations by 2015. We are just
beginning of reform era but from my point of view for recent changes and
reforming in Myanmar for various sectors including economy and following
education standard among ASEAN nations, I am sure we will have steadily and
gradually movements and can reach the standard level in Education in next 10
years.
References
Bringing ASEAN to the Region's
Classrooms, The official website of the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations http://www.aseansec.org/27025.htm
U.S. Support Bringing ASEAN into the
Region’s Classrooms, United States Mission to ASEAN, http://asean.usmission.gov/pr07052012.html
Tin (2004),
Seminar on Education in Myanmar, Centre for UNESCO, Australian National
University, Canberra. http://www.anu.edu.au/unesco/Tin.pdf
Education statistics: Myanmar. UNICEF,
Division of Policy and Practice, Statistics and Monitoring Section,
www.childinfo.org, May 2008
Development of Education in Myanmar,
Ministry of Education, Myanmar
21 Century Skills, 2009: The MILE Guide,
Milestones for Improving Learning & Education, Partnership for 21 Century
Skills p21.org/storage/documents/MILE_Guide_091101.pdf
