Career Guidance & Job Opportunities

Burma once had a strong and expanding education system. Since the current military regime staged a coup in 1988, the system has deteriorated to the point where post-secondary education is in effect non-existent. Nearly all of Burma's universities and colleges have been mostly closed since the student-led protests in 1988, in which thousands of non-violent demonstrators were gunned down in the streets.

Poverty

The greatest barrier of access to primary and secondary school education is poverty. Cuts in government spending for education has meant an increase in costs to families in the form of a series of taxes and donations paid to the education department, the school, and teachers.

Ethnic Conflict

Children in ethnic minority conflict areas are even less likely to have access to school, as physical survival and the struggle for food security takes priority. Since the SPDC does not respect even basic human rights, it is not surprising that it does not provide for education. In the best-case scenario, a school may exist, but it will likely be run by SPDC government-sanctioned teachers who seek to instill "Burman" values in their students. The other option is the establishment of local community schools which must rely on self-help measures to survive. Often only the military-sanctioned schools are allowed to remain open, while the non-Burman community schools are shut down. This is part of the junta's tactics of "Burmanizing" some of the ethnic minorities by making it difficult for them to retain their own language and culture. More Info >>

TEACHER TRAINING CENTER FOR BURMESE TEACHERS

Teacher Training Center for Burmese Teachers (TTBT) is a non-profit educational institute operating independently in exile, currently based in Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand since 2001. It seeks to improve the quality of education in refugee camps, ceasefire regions, remote areas of Burma and migrant workers in Thailand, by training new teachers, promoting active learning, critical thinking and democratic practice in schools, providing professional development opportunities for existing teachers, and developing educational policy and practice. TTBT is launching a three-year project from 2008 to 2010 called, "Prospect Burma Education Project." The components of this project are:

§ Teacher Preparation and Professional Development

§ Education Leadership and School Management

§ Education Policy and Curriculum Development

§ Skills Development for Refugees and Migrants

§ Adult (Migrant) Learning Center