Abstract
After almost 50 years of military rule that resulted in the decay of the national education system, elections in 2010 finally created the conditions for reform. Further elections in 2015 brought the National League for Democracy to power, ushering in a period of political and social liberalization. In 2014, a National Education Law (subsequently amended in 2015) was adopted. The National Education Strategic Plan 2016–2021 developed on the back of the Comprehensive Education Sector Review from 2012 to 2014 then sought to provide a roadmap for system-wide education reforms. Work on a further strategic plan to cover the period from 2021 to 2030 was delayed in 2020 by the global pandemic and then abandoned early in 2021 because of a military coup. It is now clear that the remarkable progress made over the past decade in reforming the national education system cannot be maintained. This chapter provides an overview of all sectors in the national education system up to the occurrence of the coup in February 2021. It also sketches the historical background to the development of the system. Key challenges facing the system before the return of military control are identified and discussed.
This chapter is partially adapted from: Lall, M. (2021). Myanmar’s education reform: A pathway to social justice? UCL Press. https://www.uclpress.co.uk/products/139468.
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Lall, M. (2022). Overview of Education in Myanmar. In: Symaco, L.P., Hayden, M. (eds) International Handbook on Education in South East Asia. Springer International Handbooks of Education. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-8136-3_26-1
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