Primary and Secondary Education in Myanmar 189
than on what changes they would like to occur at higher levels in the
Ministry of Education.
These views of our interviewees help us build a more complete under-
standing of the prospects for change in the education sector. In Myanmar,
there is great concern with getting the right kind of legislation, funding,
and advice to improve education. Unsurprisingly, the government itself and
outside agencies have placed an emphasis on reorganizing and rationalizing
administration and administrative practices. But as our findings reveal,
the institutional culture is also central to processes of reform.
Notes
- Zobrist has been working in education related to Burma/Myanmar for the
past fourteen years, many of which she spent on the Thai-Burma border,
and has been living in-country full-time for the past five years, working as a
research and education consultant. McCormick has worked as a researcher and
consultant for education, civil society, and livelihoods for the past seven years,
and has lived in-country for the past nine. He has worked for the EFEO and
the University of Zürich. The authors wish to thank the Asian Foundation, our
many interviewees, and the government officials whose generous help made
this research possible. - There are fourteen states and regions in Myanmar. In English usage, “states”
refer to areas inhabited by the so-called ethnic minorities (Kachin State, Mon
State, Chin State, Shan State, Karen State, Kayah State and Rakhaing State),
in contrast to Bamar (Burman)-dominated areas, which are called “regions”
(Yangon, Taninthayi, Magwe, Ayeyarwady, Mandalay, Sagaing and Bago). In
addition, there are six self-administrated areas and several ceasefire areas,
which are associated with the central administration in various ways. Here,
terms such as “state-level” encompass both states and regions. - In Mon State, we interviewed high-level officials in the State Education Office,
one District Education Officer, one Township Education Officer and four school
principals. In Yangon Region, we interviewed the highest official in the Regional
Education Office, one District Education Officer, one Township Education
Officer and two school principals. All interviews were conducted in Burmese
following a semi-structured format designed to draw out the procedures and
protocols of the Ministry of Education. Discussions of hypothetical situations
helped us gain an understanding of how these officials and officers dealt with
specific situations and helped us gauge their understanding of decentralization.
The interviews lasted between thirty and eighty minutes. While conversations
tended to be open, there were instances where we had to produce official