Burma / Myanmar Briefing

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Burma / Myanmar Briefing

• Liz Dempsey
• Higher Education Team
• Manchester

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Importance of Burma to the UK

• Importance of Burma to the UK
• British Council in Burma
• offices in Burma since 1947
• 2 offices Rangoon Mandalay, 80 Staff, 1000
  visitors per day
• Exams / Library / Information / Teaching Centre

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BC Portfolio

• English
• Teaching centres
• Annual ELT conferences for 450 teachers
• Courses in ELT methodology for Burmese Teachers
• Administer more than 60,000 British examinations
  
• Word on the street BC BBC World (Oct 2012)
  a broadcast audience of 2m p.wk.
• Arts
• Annual film festival with European partners
• Development Through Theatre programme
• Literary Festival

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BC Education

• Working with UUK on Knowledge Partnerships
• Comprehensive Education Sector Review led by
  Ministry of Education. BC DfID on working group
  along with ADB, AusAid, JICA, Save the Children,
  UNESCO, Unicef, WB
• In-depth review assessment of legislation
• To identify challenges / priorities and strategic
  options
• Will culminate in development of a new education
  sector plan
• Working with Ministry of Education to train
  10,000 English Language Teachers p.a. in the 20
  State Teacher Training Colleges (commencing 2013)

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BC Education

• Working at policy level engaging with Ministry
  Academic Leaders on a regular basis
• Working closely with Aung San Suu Kyi recent
  Government Draft Universities Bill
• Education Dialogues
• Social network space with 40,000 members
  Myanmar Web
• BC Services in International Education Marketing
  including Exhibitions, agent training, etc.

www.britishcouncil.org
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Contact

• Country Director
• Kevin Mackenzie
• Kevin.mackenzie_at_mm.britishcouncil.org
• or
• Liz Dempsey
• Liz.dempsey_at_britishcouncil.org
• email general.enquiries_at_britishcouncil.org

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Education in Burma

• Off track to achieve MDG 2 to ensure all
  children complete a full course of primary
  school
• Secondary schooling facing major challenges of
  quality management
• Disparity in completion rates in poorer ethnic
  regions
• University entrance exam completely divorced from
  secondary curriculum
• Education financing
• 2011/12 only 3.74 of National Budget allocated
  to education
• 2012/13 up to 6.26
• In terms of GDP 0.69 to 1.4

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Education Environment

• Challenging environment
• No legal structures to recognise foreign
  providers
• Limited international banking system
  predominantly cash based transactions
• Donor led environment
• DfID 10.5m over 4 years Schools project
  student retention
• Other international presence
• USA
• Australia
• France
• Malaysia
• Japan
• Thailan