Developing social work education in Myanmar

Abstract

Myanmar is transitioning to democracy after five decades of military rule. The government plans to strengthen the national capacity for social welfare and social work training. Drawing on their experiences in developing and teaching Post-Graduate Diploma in Social Work in Yangon since 2006, the authors consider what forms of social work are relevant to Myanmar in its context as an emerging democracy in the Asia-Pacific region. The authors contend that, grounded in principles of human rights and social justice, Myanmar social workers have key roles to play in determining the future of social work and development in Myanmar.

Designing a graduate entry route for police recruits: lessons from a rapid evidence assessment of other professions

“…Theoretical components of a course stimulate higher order thinking, debate, theory building and discussion. Costello and Aung (2015), demonstrate how conceptual components of social work education in Myanmar guide ethical practices and alternative perspectives. This is particularly important for graduate conversion courses, as new knowledge has the ability to challenge previously held preconceptions.…”

“…Finally, students should communicate and collaborate both observations and/or critique with their peers or educators, to share experiences and ideas, or discuss and debate differences. This also provides an opportunity to receive feedback from tutors (Clarke and Abbott, 2008;McArdle et al, 2010;Costello and Aung, 2015;Lamb, 2015).…”

“…This cognitive space to reflect also helps develop the capacity to build on and integrate both old and new knowledge and to translate theory into practice (Bromfield, 2006;Lamb and Aldous, 2016;Taole, 2012;Coffey, 2014). Reflection is a defining characteristic of higher order thinking and critical thinking, as a student's ability to compartmentalise knowledge and draw on different forms of knowledge and experience in different contexts is the mark of a competent professional (Jorgensen and Hansen, 2004;McArdle et al, 2010;Costello and Aung, 2015). Processes and tasks that employ an element of reflection also make for effective assessment methods, drawing on both assessment for learning and assessment of learning (Lamb and Aldous, 2016;Winterbottom, 2008).…”

Geographical inequity in social work research: A snapshot of research publications from the global South

“…Research investigating the social work profession is also well represented in the sample. Much of this research concentrates on educational activities, including developing social work education in countries such as Myanmar (Costello and Aung, 2015), and educational techniques (Rowan et al, 2012). The sample also has examples of research that investigates the state of the profession, such as the politicisation of social work in China (Leung et al, 2012).…”

Aportaciones de la Educación en Derechos Humanos (EDH) y la Investigación Acción Participativa (IAP) en contextos de trabajo comunitario

“…Engle (2013) relata una experiencia de Trabajo Social desarrollada en Hong Kong con el objetivo de desarrollar un programa local de tratamiento de agresores basado en los valores de la masculinidad china "importando" un programa desarrollado en EE.UU., para lo cual se exploraron las concepciones chinas de honor, familia, relaciones y logros, ideas que dificultan que los hombres hablen entre ellos sobre sus problemas, tomen conciencia de que tienen un problema y busquen ayuda para superar su violencia. Así mismo, en Myamar (Birmania) la Fundación Dulwich y la Agencia Australiana para el desarrollo de las mujeres (International Women's Development Agency, IWDA) colaboraron en la elaboración de formas narrativas culturalmente resonantes para trabajar con grupos y comunidades de mujeres en la frontera entre Tailandia y Birmania, víctimas de abusos de derechos humanos, trabajando en conjunto en la construcción de un significado colectivo de sus historias de abuso y miedo (Costello & Aung, 2015).…”