Experts urge accreditation plan for private schools
Experts urge accreditation plan for private schools
Myanmar Times, 23 Jul 2018
URL: https://www.mmtimes.com/news/experts-urge-accreditation-plan-private-schools.html
To strengthen Myanmar’s private schools, an accreditation system is needed that recognises different kinds of private schools, education experts said at a seminar that discussed a draft law on private education on Saturday.
U Kyaw Moe Tun, executive director of Parami Institute of Liberal Arts & Sciences, said agencies need to study international systems of accreditation to boost private education in Myanmar.
“Our country has a lot of ethnicity; so many types of private schools are found in ethnic areas. How to accredit these kinds of schools? We have to follow international practices to build a suitable accreditation system,” he added.
To build an accreditation system for the private education sector, a law is needed. The National Education Law was enacted in September 2014 and amended in June 2015. The Ministry of Education has drafted bills for basic, higher, technical and vocational and private education that are still undergoing review before submission to parliament. The government organised the National Accreditation and Quality Assurance Committee to improve the quality of education in the country, but it does not include private institutions, said U Aung Kyaw San, managing director of Crown Education, an education consulting firm. “There are a lot of private training centres for accounting and engineering but the draft law does not mention how to control the quality of these kinds of institutions,” he said.
On April 20, the Myanmar Investment Commission (MIC) allowed foreigners to make full capital investment in Myanmar, enabling them to own and operate schools teaching curriculums recommended by the Ministry of Education or international educational programmes.
They will be able to invest in basic education, technical, vocational and training, higher education, subject-based, and private schools designated by the ministry, according to the MIC notification 7/2018.
Daw Thu Thu Mar, secretary of the National Network for Education Reform, noted that the draft law did not provide common standards among the different regions and ethnic areas, which have different standards of education value and quality.
U Kyaw Moe Tun, executive director of Parami Institute of Liberal Arts & Sciences, said agencies need to study international systems of accreditation to boost private education in Myanmar.
“Our country has a lot of ethnicity; so many types of private schools are found in ethnic areas. How to accredit these kinds of schools? We have to follow international practices to build a suitable accreditation system,” he added.
To build an accreditation system for the private education sector, a law is needed. The National Education Law was enacted in September 2014 and amended in June 2015. The Ministry of Education has drafted bills for basic, higher, technical and vocational and private education that are still undergoing review before submission to parliament. The government organised the National Accreditation and Quality Assurance Committee to improve the quality of education in the country, but it does not include private institutions, said U Aung Kyaw San, managing director of Crown Education, an education consulting firm. “There are a lot of private training centres for accounting and engineering but the draft law does not mention how to control the quality of these kinds of institutions,” he said.
On April 20, the Myanmar Investment Commission (MIC) allowed foreigners to make full capital investment in Myanmar, enabling them to own and operate schools teaching curriculums recommended by the Ministry of Education or international educational programmes.
They will be able to invest in basic education, technical, vocational and training, higher education, subject-based, and private schools designated by the ministry, according to the MIC notification 7/2018.
Daw Thu Thu Mar, secretary of the National Network for Education Reform, noted that the draft law did not provide common standards among the different regions and ethnic areas, which have different standards of education value and quality.