Tun Mon Thet, Thiri Khit Oo (NSS) - June 5

Schools in Myanmar usually open in June throughout the country; and today (3 June) is the first school day for 2024-25 Academic Year. Myanmar children usually start their school-life at five. Typical Myanmar school uniform is white in the upper and green in the lower (Sarong or Longyi). 

It was really an exciting day for me when I was five on the first day of my school life. I really love to assembling for singing the national anthem and paying homage to Buddha before starting classes. Those are the regular activities practiced at the public schools in every morning. 

We learn the way of peaceful living with good models of ethics, morale, attitude, and discipline from the school. The Myanmar school motto says, “Morale, Discipline and Education”. 

On some occasional days, students and teachers plant trees and plants, clean the school compounds, and carry out many school activities together; from which, we learn unity spirit, friendship and life-hack knowledge. 

The physical training class what we call PT, students enjoy physical exercises, sports and play body fitness. Myanmar public schools also provide lessons to learn how to make handcrafts and handmade products, especially in the vocational training classes. 

Education sector in Myanmar encountered a turning point in then-President U Thein Sein term when private schools were extensively allowed to open. Since then, education 

service has been a competitive market with private schools that teach international curriculum, national curriculum or both and public schools. It became many choices for the parents according to their preferences; some prefer international curriculum while others prefer national curriculum teaching private schools. Still, public schools lead the education sector in the country. 

However, private schools – although they are attractive to a certain extent, lack nurturing union spirit, patriotism, and devot­ing Budd­h­is­m; no singing the national anthem or pay­ing ho  mage.   Worst of all, west­ern cult­u­re has cont­amin­ated in Myan­mar soci­ety. For inst­a­nce, those inte­r­n­­a­­­tional scho­ols arrange Ha­l­l­­o­ween festival wh­i­ch tot­a­lly clas­hes with Myanmar B­u­­ddh­istcult- ure. 

Now, the State Administration Council (SAC) recently enforced some amendments for the Private School Law in order to fit with Myanmar community. 

The 2021-22 Academic Year deemed to be another turning point in Myanmar education sector. Some students, teachers and parents boycott to attend school, especially the public schools, saying as ‘the Military Education’ and the CDM (Civil Disobedience Movement). Those opposition gro­ups also forced and pressured students, teach ers and parents who choose to continue chil­d­ren’s educat­ion at the pu­b­lic schools. 

    Myanmar education has been in a threat of colla­psing since school­teac­hers and stude­nts were threatened by pro-NUG gro­ups and PDF terrorists. These manners and dist­ri­butions are the nightmares of the new generations and make dar­kness their futu­re. In those days, over a hun­d­red of schoolteachers inclu­ding education staffs were brutally killed and some educational buildings and schools were destroyed by terrorists. 

The terrorists even attack students, especially the matriculation students, who go to sit for the matriculation exam. Till now, schools in the NUG/PDF control area cannot be opened and therefore, children in those conflict area lost their right to education although the schools from tranquil and urban areas have returned into normal in 2023 and 2024. 

As per statistics, a total of 18,952 students registered to take the exam in the 73 examination centers in the Yangon Region in the previous 2023-24  matri­culation exam. A total vof 128,801 students took the matriculation exam across the nation including foreign exam centers. 

Since students are the new blood of a country and also the hope for us to keep our legacies, our children need protection to study from terrorism for the time being. 

Data References –

   Ministry of Education

              Global New Light of Myanmar