170 Brooke Zobrist and Patrick McCormick
secondary education are three Departments of Basic Education, under which
is either the appropriate State or Region Education Office.^7 Within each state
or region are several of the newly created khayaing, or District Education
Offices, below which there are several Township Education Offices in
each of the 325 townships of the country. Additional administrative units
include six self-administered zones representing six different minority
ethnic groups. These self-administered zones were mandated by the new
2008 Constitution and hold the authority and responsibility to provide
education in their zones.
During the past several decades, the levels with the most administrative
responsibilities have been the three Departments of Basic Education
and the Township Education offices. According to our interviewees, the
District Education Offices were only created in September 2012, which are
FIGURE 7.1
Simplified Administrative Structure — Ministry of EducationNote: This figure shows only the most salient levels of administration. Ministry of Education Department
of Higher Education (Lower Myanmar), Administrative Structure of Basic Education Sector http://www.
myanmar-education.edu.mm/dhel/education-system-in-myanmar/education-structure/.
Ministry of EducationBasic Education Curriculum, Syllabus, and Textbook CommiteeDepartment of Basic of Education 1, 2 and 3State and Regional Education OfficeDistrict Office (as of 2012)Township Education officeBasic Education SchoolsMinistry of EducationBasic Education Curriculum, Syllabus, and Textbook CommitteeDepartment of Basic Education 1, 2 and 3State and Regional Education OfficeDistrict Office (as of 2012)Township Education OfficeBasic Education Schools