Abstract:This paper examines critical aspects of the birth of the new generation of Myanmar's emerging elite groups and their roles in the society based on in-depth qualitative research conducted in two universities in Yangon. It particularly pays close attention to the critical roles of the two universities -as political, social and knowledge institutions -in the formation of the new elite groups in Myanmar. The interplay between the students' individual agency and the two elite higher education institutes implies thr… Show more
“…Given the challenges, the reforms within the HE sector were going quite well [56]. Despite the pandemic, the MOE went on to draft the NESP 2 where the vision of HE was set as: "By the end of NESP, students have equal opportunities to access and succeed in a worldclass HE system.…”
Section: Higher Education (He) and The Reformsmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…"Part of the aim of the textbooks was to instil an understanding of "the Union" that conflates the state, nation, territory and people" [74] (p.1). Metro [75] (p. 56) showed that what she calls a "trinity of activities-national unification, economic development, and religious patronage" are carried out by the military regime, reflecting ancient Myanmar kings who are "hero-ised" in the textbooks. At universities, Bumanisation has been evident by the lack of inclusion of ethnic students, acknowledged by the MOE official at the second Myanmar HE conference in 2018 [7].…”
On 1 February 2021, Myanmar military dictators seized power from the elected government and halted the country’s budding reform process. This article explores how Myanmar’s higher education (HE) sector was affected by the coup and COVID-19 and how this has resulted in societal conflict. The article reviews first the history of military coups, then the education reforms in general and what was done in HE, before discussing the effects of COVID-19 and the coup on the sector. Voices from HE teaching staff show the tension in the role of HE as a vehicle for reform and promulgation of those in power. The article argues that the national vision propagated by Myanmar’s HE sector is juxtaposed to that propagated by the Tatmadaw, both claiming to represent Myanmar’s future. This research highlights the dual forces of the COVID-19 pandemic and military coup at a crucial time for HE reforms in a fragile, conflict-affected state, with the future of the reform goals of equity and equality of the sector at stake.
“…Given the challenges, the reforms within the HE sector were going quite well [56]. Despite the pandemic, the MOE went on to draft the NESP 2 where the vision of HE was set as: "By the end of NESP, students have equal opportunities to access and succeed in a worldclass HE system.…”
Section: Higher Education (He) and The Reformsmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…"Part of the aim of the textbooks was to instil an understanding of "the Union" that conflates the state, nation, territory and people" [74] (p.1). Metro [75] (p. 56) showed that what she calls a "trinity of activities-national unification, economic development, and religious patronage" are carried out by the military regime, reflecting ancient Myanmar kings who are "hero-ised" in the textbooks. At universities, Bumanisation has been evident by the lack of inclusion of ethnic students, acknowledged by the MOE official at the second Myanmar HE conference in 2018 [7].…”
On 1 February 2021, Myanmar military dictators seized power from the elected government and halted the country’s budding reform process. This article explores how Myanmar’s higher education (HE) sector was affected by the coup and COVID-19 and how this has resulted in societal conflict. The article reviews first the history of military coups, then the education reforms in general and what was done in HE, before discussing the effects of COVID-19 and the coup on the sector. Voices from HE teaching staff show the tension in the role of HE as a vehicle for reform and promulgation of those in power. The article argues that the national vision propagated by Myanmar’s HE sector is juxtaposed to that propagated by the Tatmadaw, both claiming to represent Myanmar’s future. This research highlights the dual forces of the COVID-19 pandemic and military coup at a crucial time for HE reforms in a fragile, conflict-affected state, with the future of the reform goals of equity and equality of the sector at stake.
“…Simultaneously, the experiences in 1988 and 2007, both of which were caused by public demonstrations of democratisation after the mismanagement of economic issues by the junta, greatly influenced the climate in higher education, seriously repressing the autonomy and freedom of both students and faculty members (Hong and Kim, 2019). This repressive, authoritarian climate started to change due to various initiatives coming from the steps taken towards democratisation (Esson and Wang, 2016; Hong and Kim, 2019; Hong and Chun, 2021). That is, the students and adults involved, including teachers and teacher educators, started to enjoy slightly more relaxed conditions in the 2010s, even if they were unable to overtly discuss issues related to democratisation.…”
Section: Questions About the Purpose Of Teacher Educationmentioning
On 1 February 2021, a junta launched a coup against the civilian government in Myanmar, causing strong backlash against the coup among civilians and leading the junta to suppress those who protested in an extremely aggressive way. While the citizens, including teachers, teacher educators, and student teachers, have participated in the civil disobedience movement, they have not achieved civilian sovereignty. The revival of the junta’s rule has imposed serious ethical challenges on teacher educators in Myanmar. This think piece will be a discussion of the following challenges based on the available literature: the purpose and direction of teacher education, the security of student teachers and the prospects of the teaching profession. The international fraternity of teacher educators should show solidarity by collectively thinking about these grave challenges.
“…From the logical point of view, the elite can be influential in different areas [28] and can present efficient suggestions in different times [29]. Thereby, elite rule and participation in making decisions are favourable for every society provided they are not abused [30].…”
Section: Elitist Approach By Governments and Key Role Of Them In Soci...mentioning
There are different energy approaches around the world to the development of sustainable energy systems. In this regard, the role of governments, local governments, and people in the development and use of sustainable energy is remarkable. This research, concerning the present epistemic and normative differences, aims to investigate the societal debate on citizen inclusion, local and national attempts to develop clear procedures and guidelines in the transition to sustainable energy use in different countries. Existing theories, subjectivities, and policy implications for different countries are first carefully analyzed. Based on theories, evidence, and policy implications, the behavioural insights for sustainable energy use are then examined. The results show that national governments should never ignore the psychology and behaviour of people, especially in terms of economic behaviour, performance applicable and knowledge of local governments and people in sustainable energy development. Channels of communication between local, people, and national governments, can make a robust shared network and implement simple policies such as increasing their authority. They can also encourage and build capacity through the training, support, trust and knowledge capacity of local governments and people to move toward sustainable energy development. Therefore, focusing on government and maintaining national authority should be departed from any approaches that local government and the public should be constrained as minor actors in sustainable energy governance networks. This work demonstrates that local governments can develop sustainable energy. Moreover, national governments can overcome issues and further control sustainable energy public policy goals under difficult national political conditions.
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