Education Ministry holds virtual meeting on National Education Strategic Plan (NESP) (2021-2030)

14 Dec

Union Minister for Education Dr Myo Thein Gyi said that the country is investing more in the education sector, providing more training to teachers and giving high priority to ethnic areas in development of education.

The Union Minister made the remark at the virtual meeting to discuss matters related to drafting the National Education Strategic Plan (NESP) (2021-2030) via videoconferencing on 13 December.

The virtual meeting was participated by Union Minister Dr Myo Thein Gyi, Deputy Minister U Win Maw Tun, Rectors’ Committee Chairperson Dr Zaw Wai Soe, Permanent Secretary, Directors General and Deputy Directors General of the Ministry of Education, Rectors and senior officials from universities, heads of Education Degree College, Government Technological College, Government Technical Institute and Government Technological High School and senior education officials from States and Regions.

During the meeting, the Union Minister said that his ministry is working together with all stakeholders to implement a quality education system.He continued that at the present time, 21st-century-technologies, such as “Automation, Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, Cloud Computing, Big Data, and Internet of Things”, are developing very fast. He said that the labour market has rapidly changed and competition for job opportunities has intensified, so workers need higher skills. It is important for all stakeholders to work together to create an education system that can respond to the challenges of the 21st Century, he added.

The Union Minister said that in the traditional education system, which uses examination-oriented approaches, the majority of students only memorize lessons, and they are usually assessed only by examinations.

The Union Minister also pointed out that it is important to embrace the “New Normal Education System”.
He said that all schools must have quality assurance and be accountable. He continued that suggestions from all stakeholders are needed for continuous implementation of a quality education system, and criticism must be encouraged to enhance the education sector.

The Union Minister said that in drafting the National Education Strategic Plan (2021-2030), it must be done not only with the opinions of the Ministry and the experts but also with the collective strength of all stakeholders.

In the 2019-2020 Academic Year, Myanmar’s education system began using assessments measuring students’ ability in critical thinking and problem solving, according to the Union Minister. He said that Myanmar achieved encouraging progress in Southeast Asia – Primary Learning Metrics (SEA PLM). From 2016 to 2020, high school students of Myanmar competed in the International Mathematical Olympiad, and achieved 6 Honorary Mentions.

The National Qualification Framework is also being implemented by the National Accreditation and Quality Assurance Committee(NAQAC), according to the Union Minister.

He said that the Ministry will help universities to provide more diploma courses, more bachelor degree courses, and more master degree courses, which will meet local requirements.He said that Research and Quality Assurance and Accreditation must be encouraged in the universities.

Participants including the Permanent Secretary and Directors General of the Ministry of Education discussed matters related to drafting the National Education Strategic Plan (NESP) (2021-2030) via videoconferencing.

MNA (Translated by Maung Maung Swe)