Final
Report: 41st SEAMEO Council Conference
The Swissotel the Stamford
Republic of Singapore
22-23 March 2006
The Swissotel the Stamford
Republic of Singapore
22-23 March 2006
Proceedings
Contents |
| Proceedings |
| Appendices |
Appendix
4.3.9 |
Statement by H E Brig-Gen Aung Myo Min, Deputy Minister for Education Head of Delegation of the Union of Myanmar |
| Mr
Chairman, Excellencies, Distinguished Delegates and Observers, Ladies and Gentlemen, |
On
behalf of the Government of the Union of Myanmar and the Myanmar
delegation, I would first like to offer my congratulations to His
Excellency Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Minister for Education, Singapore,
on his appointment as President of the 41st SEAMEO Council and Chairman
of the SEAMEO Council Conference being held in Singapore, the nation
of education excellence. I also wish to congratulate His Excellency
Prof Dr Bambang Sudibyo, Minister of National Education, Indonesia,
on his appointment as Vice President. I am confident that under
the capable guidance and leadership of Your Excellencies new avenues
of collaboration will be opened by SEAMEO for the advancement and
sharing of knowledge to aid the development of education in the
region. |
I
also wish to take this opportunity to express our profound appreciation
to the outgoing President, His Excellency Prof Dr Nguyen Minh Hein,
Minister of Education and Training, Vietnam. I would also like to
extend my warm welcome to Timor-Leste, the new SEAMEO Member State.
Allow me also to extend our very sincere thanks and appreciation
to the Government and the people of Singapore for the warm hospitality
that has been accorded to us. |
| Mr Chairman, |
Throughout
the history of mankind, education has been the basis for the development
of a nation and is pivotal in narrowing knowledge, social and economic
gaps. The provision of quality education that promotes creativity,
dynamism and lifelong learning opportunities has become all the
more vital in this age of fast-paced developments created by information
and communication technology. |
Through
the implementation of the Thirty-Year Long-Term National Education
Development Plan, the Myanmar Ministry of Education is ensuring
that the education sector meets the changing needs of new generations
of learners and the challenges posed by the Knowledge Age. The earlier
phase of the plan has brought about expansion of access to education
through the use of innovative means. The focus of the current phase
of the plan is the upgrading of the quality of education of both
basic and higher education. |
At
the basic education level, comprehensive quality education is the
goal. In the reformation of the curriculum to achieve quality education,
one of our guiding principles is to inculcate in our children to
cherish the community, to value the responsibilities we have towards
our nation, and to carry out lifelong learning. Among the earlier
important curricular changes made is the introduction of prevocational
education from the lower secondary level, and Life Skills and Aesthetic
Education from the primary level in 1998. Life Skills education
has been introduced at schools with the objectives of imparting
skills to live in conformity with the environment, to practise appropriate
basic life skills for a physically and mentally healthy life, and
to protect oneself from preventable diseases including AIDS. It
also deals with the psycho-social competencies. The life skills
syllabus for the primary level has already been revised by adding
topics of current relevance such as environmental conservation and
prevention of natural hazards and accidents. The Life skills education
curriculum initiated in Myanmar can be said to be among the foremost
programmes in Southeast Asia. |
The
whole of the basic education curriculum is at present undergoing
another major review to ensure that it reflects international trends
and learner needs. A national seminar will be held in April to discuss
the changes to be made. In parallel with the curriculum review and
revision, refresher courses for high school teachers are planned
to be conducted all over Myanmar to further upgrade their academic
and pedagogic qualities and ICT skills. |
The
third activity for enhancing quality at the basic education level
is the development of supervisory and administrative skills of school
inspectors. Basic Education School Supervision and Inspection Training
Programmes for school inspectors are being conducted to provide
proper evaluation and guidance and administration of basic education
schools. |
As
in the basic education level, the current focus of the higher education
level is the upgrading of quality. At present, higher education
teachers are reviewing the curriculum to ensure that it is keeping
pace with international trends. A national seminar on higher education
curriculum reform will be held in April to review the findings and
give recommendations. |
Currently,
a wide spectrum of courses including multidisciplinary and doctorate
level courses that develop cross-disciplinary thinking, creativity,
problem solving skills and a keen desire to discover are being introduced.
In addition, the syllabuses include components dealing with local
needs and resources to ensure their relevancy to local communities.
|
A
major activity for the promotion of higher education quality is
the broadening of the application of ICT in teaching and learning
to enhance the use of new technologies. It is having a tremendous
impact on teaching, learning, research and the propagation of lifelong
learning in the country. Applied research has been made obligatory
at higher education institutions to foster collaborations between
higher education institutions and local industries. |
| Mr
Chairman, Distinguished Participants, Ladies and Gentlemen, |
In
conclusion, I would like to state that, at this juncture, with the
tremendous changes taking place in all spheres of society, it is
difficult to envisage the kind of technologies that will emerge,
or the kinds of skills and knowledge that will be most needed in
tomorrow's world. What is important for education providers is to
constantly review our educational programmes so that we can offer
the skills and knowledge that our learners need and want to master.
We also need to imbue in our learners the will to learn, the will
to adapt themselves to new knowledge, the will to want to create
new knowledge themselves and the will to face challenges boldly.
Our new generations must also have the determination to preserve
what is unique about each of our society, our values, our traditions
and home-grown knowledge that have guided and nourished our societies.
These will always remain relevant to our societies despite the many
advances that the new centuries will bring. It is also vital that
our education instructs our younger generations to appreciate the
uniqueness of other societies and to learn to live in a spirit of
tolerance, cooperation and understanding to allow peace and prosperity
to reign in the world. As an organization that encompasses a region
with eleven countries with its wealth of human and natural resources,
SEAMEO must creatively ensure that the available rich reserve of
knowledge, experiences and resources in the region be disseminated
by creating greater interchange of students, scholars, research
and information to realize its mission of enhancing regional understanding,
co-operation and unity among Member States and achieve a better
quality of life. |
| Thank you. |
