U Than Aung Minister for Education

Every nation in accordance with its priorities and resources is striving to enhance the quality of education so that it can prepare its youth to face the challenges of the new century. Myanmar has been focusing on education development activities since 1997 by implementing education promotion programs and plans. It is striving to widen accessibility at both basic and higher education levels. At the basic education level, partnership between the state and the community has been forged and regular campaigns launched to ensure that all school age children are in school and to hasten the realization of universalization of primary education in Myanmar, including the border and remote areas. At the higher education level, additional higher education institutions with a variety of specializations have been founded to ensure that advanced knowledge and skills are within reach of everyone wherever they may reside in the country.

Quality education is being developed using various strategies. One is by ensuring that every student who graduates from secondary school leaves with basic computer skills and a sound knowledge of science. Computer training centers and electronic resource centers have been established in all higher education institutions so that students can be provided with compulsory computer courses and information and communication technology skills reinforced. Curriculum reforms together with a student centered methodology have also been initiated in both basic and higher education to foster creativity, critical thinking and academic excellence. One important step taken in basic education is the inclusion of life skills in the curriculum which covers health and prevention of HIV/AIDs and human rights. At the higher education level, quality is being reinforced with diversity by expanding enormously the options offered at the higher education institutions so that students have a greater opportunity to realize their full potential.

Teacher quality, an important factor in the promotion of high quality education, is also being improved and more qualified teachers are being nurtured by increasing the number of teacher training institutions and expanding pre-service training programs using a variety of means. An important measure taken in this regard is the promotion of ICT skills of teachers to prepare them for the application of ICT in teaching and learning. At the higher education level, in addition to the provision of training in ICT and the English language which is the medium of instruction at higher education, regular teacher development programs have been introduced and access expanded to the Intranet to enable teachers to update them.

Myanmar's education goals are to establish a lifelong learning society which will act as qualified resource for the country's development, for the education sector to participate actively in the discovery of new avenues of development of human and other resources, and for higher education institutions to contribute to the progress of the regions in which they are located.

UNESCO acts as an important catalyst for worldwide education development initiatives and plays a vital role as a forum for the enhancement of quality education. I offer my best wishes for the success of the 47th session of ICE: Quality education for all young people: challenges, trends and priorities as it will provide an opportunity to share our experiences and strategies in striving to prepare our young people for the new challenges of the century.