By Lokethar
ATTHE Technical and Vocational Education and Training Symposium held from 15 to 16 July 2016 in the Convention Centre 2 in Nay Pyi Taw, the State Counsellor HE Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, in delivering her opening address, spoke about the need for promoting TVET. She said that TVET is considered by many parents and even the students themselves as being of lower stature than a University education. The State Counsellor pointed out that TVET is the type of education that provides greater opportunities for employment as well as full filling the needs of the economy for skilled technicians and workers. In most countries of the world it is a valued system of education. She said that in no way was TVET of lower stature than other forms of education. She called on those responsible to enhance the role of TVET. Subsequently, in later public talks and meetings, she reiterated the importance of TVET and called for its role in the education system to be enhanced.
In the “Foreword” of the Ministry of Education’s “National Education Strategic Plan (NESP) of 2016-21”, the summary of which was downloaded from the internet, the State Counsellor HE Daw Aung San Suu Kyi said with regard to the TVET Sector; ”We must continuously expand and strengthen the quality of technical and vocational education and training in the interest of sustained economic development”.
In the NESP, the TVET sector strategies, have been outlined in a simple language which any person would understand. The Transformational “shift” envisaged with regard to TVET is “More learners can access TVET and graduate from quality assured and labour market responsive TVET programs under a more effective TVET Management System”.
With reference to the NESP, relating to the area of TVET, the Strategies and some of their Program Components which are of relevance to occupational skills development, are presented below:
Strategy 1: Expand access to TVET for various target groups including disadvantaged populations and people with disabilities.
Program Component 3: Undertake competency-based modular short courses to increase access to TVET.
Strategy 2: Strengthen the quality and relevance of TVET.
Program Component 2: Provide pedagogical and specific skills training for pre-service and in-service teachers.
Program Component 5: Establish a quality assurance system that comprises a TVET National Qualification Framework, national skills standards, a competency-based curricula and accreditation of institutions and individuals.
Strategy 3: Strengthen TVET Management.
Program Component 1: Establish a strengthened TVET Governance system to enhance sector management and efficiency, increase access and improve quality and relevance relating to shifting labour market demands.
Program Component 1: Establish Public-Pravate Partnership (PPP) to expand access to quality TVET services and strengthen the partnership between the public and private sectors.
The Strategies and Program Components are self-explanatory. What is obvious is that in TVET “Increased access to TVET”, “National Skills Standards”, “TVET Management”, “Participation of the private sector” as well as the “Assessment System” (dealt within an earlier chapter of the ESP) are the keywords of a quality assured expand TVET System.
As the Private Vocational Training Law is still in the making, the TVET Council to be formed under the law will probably not emerge for quite some time. As far as National Skill Standards are concerned, the National Skilled Standards Authority (NSSA) formed under the Employment and Skills Development Law of 2013, in which all the relevant Ministries including MOE, private sector organizations are represented, has approved Occupational Competency Standards for some 50 plus occupations.
The Occupational Competency Standards were drawn up by NSSA’s, fifteen “Occupational Sectorial Committees” (OSC) each comprising of MOE’s representatives, Ministry of Industry representatives, other relevant Ministries’ representatives, TVET school teachers and instructors from the public and private sectors, and occupational experts. The OSCs are Chaired by Professionals and Administrators from the various occupational fields. The standards have been in use by NSSA for the past three or more years to assess and certify skilled workers at different levels of skills of their occupations. The standards are to be revised from time to time in step with technological advances.
Regarding “Access to TVET” it is vital for the rural youth who are the majority of school dropouts, to be able to undergo occupational skills training which will enable them to systematically learn occupational skills to earn their livelihood.
The “private sector TVET Schools” are at present more or less located in or around the big cities and are not easily accessible to rural youths. The vocational training schools under the MOE, and other Ministries, are located widely in the States and Regions and hence are more accessible to the majority of rural youths. The TVET Schools could, in the PPP mode, run modular short courses using the NSSA standards to train the dropouts in employable skills in the common occupational fields, such as Construction, Industry, Agriculture, Health Care, Hotel and Tourism, etc. for which semi-skilled and skilled workers are currently in demand in the labour market.
According to the new Myanmar Education Law(2014/2015) persons with a minimum of primary education are eligible to attend vocational training courses. Hence majority of the drop outs will be able to access vocational training which, as they progress up the skill levels will give them access to progressively higher qualifications as advanced skilled workers, supervisors and/ or junior level technicians in their chosen occupational fields.
In conducting the short courses priority should perhaps be given to the rural youths who are school dropouts, are of working age and are from poor families._GNLM
