By Dr Than Lwin Tun
CIVIL Service Academy, Upper Myanmar (CSA-UM) is situated in Zeepingyi village, PyinOoLwin Township, Mandalay Region. It is located on Mandalay-PyinOoLwin Road and is 24 miles five furlongs far from Mandalay. The area occupied by the CSA-UM is 905.10 acres.
There are the Yadanabon Cyber City in the East, Central Institute of Fire Bridge in the North and Northwest, Police Officer Training Institute of Myanmar Police Force and Zeepingyi Village in the West and Paypin Village in the South and Southwest.
The meeting for the 21st ACCSM and the Six Heads of Meeting for the 21st ACCSM Plus Three held in Hanoi of Viet Nam from 3 to 5 August were conducted with the theme of Modernizing Civil Service towards a Cohesive and Responsive ASEAN community and 4 August, Forum on Good Governance with the theme of Renovation of Civil Servants Training and Upgrading for Building Capacity and Meeting International Integration Requirements.
Therefore, the role of CSA (Upper and Lower Myanmar) is very important for Government Civil Service.
With the help and support of the President’s instruction (The Republic of the Union of Myanmar), the supervision of the Union Civil Service Board, Management Course for Executive Level Officials No (1) was successfully opened on 30 June 2014. Meanwhile, our group (Executive-9) also attended Management Course for Executive Level Officials No (9) from 25 April to 17 June 2022 at CSA-UM. The visions of CSA-UM are to become an academy for Civil Service that sustainability trains the politics, economics, social and managerial studies of the State, to support good governance and nurture the good service personnel who serve the interest of the people. The objectives are to train and conduct the basic course supporting the good governance of civil servants and pre-civil servants, to train sustainability the high capability course for mid-level management officers, senior level management officials and executive level management officials and to hold up performing the capability improving courses for civil servants, special courses and workshop by planning and supervising of Union of Civil Service Board.
Regarding training activities, there are eight academic departments in the CSA-UM: Department of Management Studies, Department of Economic Studies, Department of Political Science, Department of Social Science, Department of Law, Department of Information and Communication Technology, Department of English and Department of Defense Studies.
Subjects imparted by the Department of Management Studies include: General Management, Leadership, Project Management, Office Work, Office Management, Financial Regulation, Departmental Accounting, Natural Disaster Management, Environmental Management, Ethics and Cooperate Social Responsibility, Human Resource Management, Supervision, Service Management, Total Quality Management, Knowledge Management, Learning Organization, International Organization for Standardization – ISO and Training and Development.
Subjects imparted by the Department of Economics Studies include Economics, Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, Economic Development, Basic Statistics, Economics and Social Statistics, Introduction of Economics and Economics policies of the nation, Microeconomics + Macroeconomics, Economic Planning, Development Economics, Statistics, Green Economy, Small and Middle Enterprises (SMEs), Basic Concepts of Economics, Distinguishing Alternative Pathways for Economics Development, Physical and Human Resources, United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals, Public-Private Relationship Pattern, Regional Economic Integration in ASEAN.
Subjects imparted by the Department of Political Science include Nature of Politics, National Policy, Modern Political Constitution, International Relation, Current International Affairs, Geopolitics, Union Spirit and Culture and Tradition of National Races, World History, World Political Thought, Introduction to Political Science, Elements of Political Institutions, Geopolitics and Geo-Economics.
Subjects imparted by the Department of Social Science include Applied Ethics, Social Problems, Mass Communication, Human Rights, Human Relations, Ethics, Developing of Culture, Public Relations, Interpersonal Skills and Civics.
Subjects imparted by the Department of Law include: International Law, Administrative Law, Selected Laws on the conduct of civil servants, Selected Section from the Panel Code, Selected Laws on the conducts of civil servants, Selected Section from the Special Law and Panel Code, Fundamental Law, Myanmar Judicial Law, The Code of Criminal Procedure, Evidence Act, Myanmar Customary Law, Special Law and Civil Service Personnel Law and Rules.
Subjects imparted by the Information and Communication Technology Department include Introduction, Computer System, Technology Element, MIL (Mobile Information Literacy), Basic Theory, Computer Basic, Strategy, Management, Technology and Introduction to the application (MIL & e-Government).
Subjects imparted by the English Department include Workplace English, Professional Presentation and Note Taking.
Subjects imparted by the Department of Defense Studies include Security and Defense of the State, Drill (Without and With Arms), Small Arms, Field Craft and Physical Fitness.
Teaching Methods
In training for trainees, the academy performances for using training methodologies are lecture method (learner-central approach), discussion, group discussion, practical exercise and exam system by writing and online teaching.
Regarding information for training courses, the training courses are diploma courses, regular courses and special refresher courses.
The CSA-UM training courses have also developed, through successive generations, in line with the Government Servants’ Conduct Rules of Myanmar. The CSA-UM provides courses promoting the trainees to become good service personnel with patriotic spirits, who dutifully perform their tasks in administrative, economic and social matters of the country.
Regarding the Management Course for Executive Level Officials No-9, the CSA-UM has provided interesting and valuable topics such as people-centered approaches for open Government, Constitutions, Union Election Commission, Fundamental Federalism and Public Policy, International Relations, Culture and Globalization, Law, Human Relation in Organizational Behaviour and Ethics, Duties of Office of Auditor General, Public Financial Management System, Anti -Corruption Commission, Environmental Conservation and Management, Capital Market in Myanmar, National Statistical System, 21st Century Leadership Skill for Executives, Geopolitics and World Affairs, Media Management, Small and Medium Enterprise, Human Resource Management, Negotiation Skills, Service Innovation using ICT, Crafting Competitive Advantage through Collaboration, Statistical Analysis for effective Decision, Overview on Human Rights, State Obligation and Public Responsibility, Natural Disaster Management, Health Care Services in Hospitals, Disease Control Activities, Sustainable Development Goals, International Relations- United Nations and Sanctions, Stress Management and Mental Health, Impact Analysis, Macro-economic Policy and management, Crisis Management, Myanmar and World Politics, Public Private Partnership, Management Skills for Executive Level Officials and etc.
The CSA-UM is promoting critical thinking skills and how to consider holistic perspectives of Administration and Management.
Knowledge is the power and in our modernized world, we increasingly rely on technology for memorizing. So, Knowledge Augmentation is the key important issue for us and supports organizational effectiveness.
In addition, we learned a lot from CSA-UM and improved our knowledge. We, Executive-9 Group acknowledged and respected all the lecturers for their active participation and energetic sharing of knowledge.
