At the apex of its delta, the Irrawaddy breaks up into a vast network of streams and empties into the Andaman Sea through multiple mouths. The northern mountains consist of a series of ranges that form a complex knot at Mount Hkakabo. Omissions? Its great tributary, the Chindwin, drains the western region. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. Myanmar, also known as Burma, was long considered a pariah state while under the rule of an oppressive military junta from 1962 to 2011. The mountain ranges generally run from north to south. Tertiary: Undergraduate Education - Degree Oriented: 3: 3-4 years : Tertiary: Graduate Education: 5: Master's or M.B.B.S. Myanmar has two major lakes. Sri Lanka, India, and Indonesia are just a few places where you might travel to get a taste for new cultues, cuisines, and languages. There is a very high level of enthusiasm and … Its total length from north to south is about 1,275 miles (2,050 km), and its width at the widest part, across the centre of the country at about the latitude of the city of Mandalay, is approximately 580 miles (930 km) from east to west. Five years of primary education, beginning at age five, are compulsory; in some remote rural areas, however, formal schooling may not be available. Primary Education. One of the primary areas that would benefit from reform is Burma’s education system. Ruins of ancient Buddhist shrines and pagodas, Pagan, Myanmar. To the south of these are the Rakhine Mountains (Arakan Mountains), which lie entirely within Myanmar and separate the coastal strip from the central basin. At independence, Myanmar had the highest literacy rate in … In 1884 Yangon College was established and was affiliated to Calcutta University in India. The Myanmar government has made reform of the entire higher education system a national priority. Popa Hill, in the Pegu Mountains, Myanmar. From north to south, the Patkai Range, Naga Hills, and Chin Hills form the border between India and Myanmar. Starting with pre-colonial forms of schooling, which occurred almost entirely outside the confines of the state, the chapter traces the evolution through colonisation and the country’s independence to the non-state and state-provided education systems that exist today. Associate Professor of Asian Studies, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu. The basin is divided into two unequal parts, the larger Irrawaddy valley and the smaller Sittang valley, by the Bago Mountains. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Indawgyi Lake, in the northern hills, runs some 15 miles (24 km) from north to south and 8 miles (13 km) from east to west; it is one of the largest natural inland lakes of Southeast Asia. The Tenasserim plains also are drained by short and rapid rivers, which enter the Gulf of Martaban. Engineering takes 6 year of study and … 1 Basic Education System 1.1 The current basic education system in Myanmar comprises six years of primary (Grade 1 to Grade 6), three years of lower secondary (Grade 7 to Grade 9) and two years of upper secondary (Grade 10 and Grade 11) education. The Rakhine coastal plains are drained by short, rapid streams, which, after forming broad deltas, flow into the Bay of Bengal. Following an optional pre-school period, children enter primary school for 5 compulsory years. Teaching revolves around textbook instruction with little to no research focus. Electrification is vital to fight against... Week in Review: Tourist arrivals fall 75% in... Myanmar among five Asian countries needing... Nay Pyi Taw vows to take action against... 16 Myanmar migrants victims of fraud in... NLD expected to take all chief minister posts. Like the mountains, Myanmar’s main rivers run from north to south. Education since 1975 An important goal of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (LPDR) government was to establish a system of universal primary education by 1985. Ring in the new year with a Britannica Membership, Council on Foreign Relations - Understanding Myanmar, Central Intelligence Agency - The World Factbook - Burma, Myanmar - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11), Myanmar - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). Myanmar slopes from north to south, from an elevation of 19,296 feet (5,881 metres) at Mount Hkakabo (the country’s highest peak) in the extreme north to sea level at the Irrawaddy (Ayeyarwady) and Sittang (Sittoung) river deltas. Corrections? In 2005 the government began to shift its administrative centre, first to the city of Pyinmana (some 200 miles [320 km] north of Yangon) and then to Nay Pyi Taw (Naypyidaw), a newly constructed city near Pyinmana. During British colonial rule, educational access for women improved tremendously. The basic read, write and calculate training courses known by Ah Thone Lone began in the year 1964-1965. Stretching from latitude 10° N to about 28° 30′ N, Myanmar is the northernmost country of Southeast Asia; it is shaped like a kite with a long tail that runs south along the Malay Peninsula. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. After the independence, the public schools started reaching all parts of… The Education Reconstruction Committee of 1947 decided that Myanmar needed a homogeneous system of schools and that the education system had to be state provided and state controlled (Lwin 2000:5). 1.1.2 Education and People with Disabilities in Myanmar The history of education for PWDs in Myanmar has seen numerous plans made by the government for the benefit of PWDs but has yet to find success in implementation. In 1947, it was upgraded to a degree college. Science, Technology and Innovation. After gaining independence in 1948, the government launched the new education system as part of the “Welfare Plans” in 1953. In Myanmar, where more than 80 per cent of the population lives in rural areas, monastic schools fill a significant gap in the education sector. Currently, Myanmar high schools go up to 10 th standard, or 11 th grade, while other countries have a 12-grade system and a university entrance exam which we don’t have. The ESS was begun in 1990 and Phase I—Final Report (of the diagnostic phase) was completed in 1992. In Myanmar once also known as Burma decades of political conflict have reduced a once-proud education system to one that is lagging sadly. In the same region, however, when the soil has a low clay content, it becomes saline under high evaporation and is recognizable by its yellow or brown colour. The Sittang flows into the Gulf of Martaban of the Andaman Sea, and, for a comparatively short river, it has a large valley and delta. Schooling is compulsory until the end of elementary school. Historically, Myanmar had a high quality education system Traditionally, children were taught at monasteries, and later following British colonization, there was a shift towards a westernized public school system. Inle Lake, near Taunggyi, Myanmar (Burma). Then again a thirty-year national education plan starting from 2001-2002 till 2030-2031 financial year has been earmarked and five short-term planning periods have been implemented. Culture. Sort out the facts in this quiz all about the diverse countries and cities around Asia. Meeting demand The obvious challenge for policy-makers in Myanmar would appear to be around the scale and mix of investment in higher education. In terms of plate tectonics, this knot marks the northeastern limit of the encroaching Indian-Australian Plate, which has been colliding with the southern edge of the Eurasian Plate for roughly the past 50 million years and thrusting up the mountain ranges of Myanmar and beyond. Myanmar’s history of enforced Burmanisation since the era of Ne Win, when all schools were nationalised and Bamar saga became the only language allowed in schools, resulted in widespread resistance on the part of many ethnic groups. Myanmar 2018 Education Budget Brief Introduction In its latest update to its PFM Strategy, MoPF stressed on the need for transparency of public financial management system, and encouraged the release of budgetary information to stakeholders and the public, referring inter alia to a … Updates? Participation in Education . The plateau was formed during the Mesozoic Era (about 250 to 65 million years ago) and thus is a much older feature than the western mountains, but the plateau also shows more-recent and intensive folding, with north-south longitudinal ranges rising steeply to elevations of 6,000 to 8,600 feet (1,800 to 2,600 metres) above the plateau surface. Flowing entirely through Myanmar, it is navigable for nearly 1,000 miles (1,600 km). The provision of education and health care is very limited and what exists is under-resourced. When protected by forest cover, these soils absorb the region’s heavy rain, but they erode quickly once the forest has been cleared. General Information . From … Universities in Myanmar remain highly centralized and state run. The basin was deeply excavated by the predecessors of the Irrawaddy, Chindwin, and Sittang rivers; the valleys are now occupied by these rivers, which cover the ancient soft sandstones, shales, and clays with alluvial deposits. Discussions about the education system in Myanmar often tend to be dominated by the curriculum. Later in 1947, the first State Teachers’ Training College (S.T.T.C) was opened in Yangon. The mountains consist of old crystalline rocks surrounded by hard, tightly folded sedimentary rocks on either side. The remote, western hills of Burma are home to a population of some 500,000 Chin people and their state is widely acknowledged to be the poorest part of the country. In 1931, the Teachers’ Training College (TTC) was established as a constituent college of the college of the University of Yangon. Inle Lake is fed by dozens of streams. In Ayeyawady Division, there are 12 universities and colleges; 9 in Bago division; 1 in Chin State; 8 in Kachin State; 3 in kayah State; 4 in Kayin State; 14 in Magway division; 32 in … EDUCATION IN MYANMAR 1. The coastal areas consist of the narrow Rakhine and Tenasserim plains, which are backed by the high ranges of the Rakhine and Tenasserim mountains and are fringed with numerous islands of varying sizes. Then in June, 1925 Mandalay College was founded as an affiliated institution to University of Yangon. The higher education system follows a 4-1-3 year program with 4 years for a bachelor's degree, one year of qualifying classes, and 3 years for a master's degree. Nearly all schools are government-operated, but recently, there has been an increase in privately funded schools (which specialise in English). Boat on the Irrawaddy River, Myanmar (Burma). Nay Pyi Taw was proclaimed the capital of Myanmar in 2006. Then after 1962 some of these faculties were transformed into separate universities. The National Education Strategic Plan (NESP) 2016-21 was developed as a result of a nationwide comprehensive education sector review, which started in 2012. Historically, Burma, officially called Myanmar, has not supported and has even been hostile to education. The lowland regions are covered with alluvial soils—mainly silt and clay. The Shan Plateau to the east rises abruptly from the central basin, often in a single step of some 2,000 feet (600 metres). For the poor and disadvantaged in remote areas who have no access to or cannot afford to go to public schools, monastic schools are often the only source of education, providing free tuition and textbooks. An intensive adult literacy campaign was initiated in 1983-84, which mobilized educated persons living in villages and urban neighborhoods to bring basic reading and writing skills to over 750,000 adults. All rights reserved. But there are 150 universities and colleges that are divided into 14 divisions and states. In the centre of the basin and structurally connected with the Bago Mountains and their northern extension is a line of extinct volcanoes with small crater lakes and eroded cones, the largest being Popa Hill, at 4,981 feet (1,518 metres). It simply highlights a need to accompany investment in the expansion of the system with policies that enable access to tertiary education for those who are most able to benefit. Symposiums were held on the basic education sector and plans were drawn up for implementation. Myanmar education is basically run by government ministries and most universities are based in the divisions of Yangon and Mandalay. Participation in Education. Browse by country. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. Myanmar, also called Burma, country, located in the western portion of mainland Southeast Asia. The French system of education was replaced with a Laotian curriculum, although lack of teaching materials has impeded effective instruction. Nevertheless, this is a successful non-sate education regime which offers a model for dual-language schooling in a multi-ethnic country such as Burma - a prototype ‘federal’ education system. Myanmar has a long tradition of educational achievement, and about nine-tenths of the population is literate. The education of Myanmar first began during the time of ancient kings and had been regarded as important and significant. According to Ministry of Education (MoE) figures, in the 2015/16 school year Myanmar had 45,387 schools catering to 8.85m children. The central basin and lowlands, lying between the Rakhine Mountains and the Shan Plateau, are structurally connected with the folding of the western ranges. Northward, the plateau merges into the northern mountains, and southward it continues into the Dawna Range and the peninsular Tenasserim Mountains (Tanintharyi Mountains), each a series of parallel ranges with narrow valleys. Progress and Completion in Education Structure of Education System in Myanmar Source: Panorama of Myanmar Higher Education (June, 2012) The credit system introduced in 2000-01 AY is being revised in tandem with new courses in order to facilitate Myanmar Students in transferring credits to foreign HEIs on student exchange programs. The NESP represents an important milestone for education in Myanmar, as the country’s very first education sector plan in the context of a major transition towards democracy. About three-fifths of Myanmar’s surface is drained by the Irrawaddy and its tributaries. This chapter provides an overview of the historical development of educational provision in Myanmar. dual–administration education system). Children currently spend five years at primary school, four in lower secondary and two in upper secondary. This region contains the sources of several of Asia’s great rivers, including the Irrawaddy, which rises and flows wholly within Myanmar, and the Salween (Thanlwin), which rises to the north in China. Myanmar - History Background; Myanmar - Educational System—overview; Myanmar - Administration, Finance, Educational Research; Myanmar - Teaching Profession; Myanmar - Summary; Education Encyclopedia - StateUniversity.com Global Education Reference in Forestry, 5-6 years of study. The country as a whole can be divided into five physiographic regions—the northern mountains, the western ranges, the eastern plateau, the central basin and lowlands, and the coastal plains. Figure 2. In the dry belt of the central region are found red-brown soils rich in calcium and magnesium. © Copyright 2021 The Myanmar Times. The vast majority of children in Myanmar attend government-run schools, beginning formal classes each June once they have reached five years of age. Low in nutrients and organic matter, they are improved by fertilizers. Many of its tributaries are more than 300 miles (480 km) long and join the Salween in cascades. In 1922, the Department of Education was established at Yangon University College and the diploma education course was introduced. The Education Sector Study (ESS), a collaborative effort of the Ministry of Education, UNESCO and the UN Development Program (UNDP), was a watershed in the development of education in Myanmar. This was mirrored by an increase in female employment. Then for the general public to be able to read, write and calculate, basic training courses known by Ah Thone Lone were implemented. The education system is based on the United Kingdom’s system, due to nearly a century of British presence in Myanmar. 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