United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO)

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Description: " UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay has denounced the killing of reporter Sai Win Aung, also known as A Sai K, in Lay Kay Kaw Myothit, Myanmar, near the border with Thailand on 25 December 2021, and called upon the authorities to conduct a full investigation. "I condemn the killing of Sai Win Aung. Media workers like Sai Win Aung risk their lives to keep the public informed. Their work deserves to be recognized and their safety protected in line with international humanitarian law, which forbids attacks on civilians." - Audrey Azoulay, UNESCO Director-General Sai Win Aung was covering the plight of refugees in the southeastern state of Kayin for the Federal News Journal when he was fatally shot in an artillery attack by the Myanmar armed forces, according to reports. Aung was the second journalist killed in Myanmar in December 2021. UNESCO promotes the safety of journalists through global awareness-raising, capacity building and a range of actions, notably in the framework of the UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity. See also: UNESCO observatory of killed journalists Media contact: Guilherme Canela de Souza Godoi, [email protected]..."
Source/publisher: The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
2022-01-05
Date of entry/update: 2022-01-05
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Sub-title: A JOINT STATEMENT BY SAVE THE CHILDREN, UNESCO AND UNICEF
Description: "Over 12 million children and young people in Myanmar have not had access to organised learning for more than a year. The consequences for their education, personal development, psychological wellbeing and future opportunities are already profound and will continue to grow. Children in the poorest and most remote communities will likely be most affected. All children and young people have the right to access education and parents have a right to choose the kind of education their children will receive. Children’s best interests must be central to decision-making about education. And it is essential to ensure that students, teachers and staff are consulted, respected and safe to learn and teach on their own terms, and with dignity. Attacks on places of learning and education staff and the occupation of education facilities are unacceptable. They must be protected from conflict and unrest – these are places where children should be safe and empowered to learn and develop. In the era of COVID-19, keeping places of learning safe also requires the rigorous application of prevention and control measures. The risks associated with COVID-19 are still high, and it is important to do everything possible to prevent further spread of the disease. Providing psychosocial support and care will be essential if students and teachers are to be able to focus on learning. Teaching and learning will need to be adapted to compensate for the extended period of lost learning and there will be an ongoing need for supplementary and flexible learning approaches. Keeping places of learning safe at all times, and ensuring continuity of learning, must be a priority for Myanmar. The lack of access to a safe, quality education threatens to create an entire generation in Myanmar which will miss out on the opportunity to learn. This is something which we cannot and must not accept. For further information, please contact: Shima Islam, UNICEF East Asia and Pacific, Bangkok, [email protected] UNESCO Regional Bureau, Bangkok, [email protected] Charlotte Rose, [email protected] , Save the Children Asia Regional Office (available during BST office hours)..."
Source/publisher: Save the Children, UNESCO, UNICEF via "Reliefweb" (New York)
2021-05-21
Date of entry/update: 2021-05-22
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Sub-title: Joint Statement of Save the Children, UNESCO and UNICEF
Description: "YANGON, 19 March 2021 – The occupation of education facilities across Myanmar by security forces is a serious violation of children’s rights. It will exacerbate the learning crisis for almost 12 million children and youth in Myanmar, which was already under tremendous pressure as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and ensuing widespread school closures. Save the Children, UNESCO and UNICEF call on security forces to vacate occupied premises immediately and ensure that schools and educational facilities are not used by military or security personnel. As of 19 March, security forces have reportedly occupied more than 60 schools and university campuses in 13 states and regions. In at least one incident, security forces reportedly beat two teachers while entering premises, and left several others injured. Other public institutions including hospitals have also been occupied. These incidents mark a further escalation of the current crisis and represent a serious violation of the rights of children. Schools must be not used by security forces under any circumstances. Save the Children, UNESCO and UNICEF remind security forces of their obligation to uphold the rights of all children and youth in Myanmar to education as enshrined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Myanmar Child Rights Law, and the National Education Law and call on them to exercise maximum restraint and end all forms of occupation and interference with education facilities, personnel, students and other public institutions.....ရန်ကုန်၊ ၂၀၂၁ ခုနှစ်၊ မတ်လ ၁၉ ရက် – မြန်မာနိုင်ငံတစ်ဝန်းရှိ ပညာရေးအဆောက်အအုံများတွင် လုံခြုံရေးတပ်ဖွဲ့များက တပ်စွဲထားခြင်းသည် ကလေးသူငယ်အခွင့်အရေးများကို ကြီးလေးစွာချိုးဖောက်ခြင်းဖြစ်ပါသည်။ နဂိုကတည်းကပင် ကိုဗစ် - ၁၉ ကပ်ရောဂါနှင့် နေရာအနှံ့ ကျောင်းများပိတ်ထားကြရသည့် အကျိုးဆက်ကြောင့် ကြီးမားလှသော ဖိစီးမှုများကြုံနေကြရသည့် မြန်မာနိုင်ငံမှ ကလေးသူငယ်များနှင့် လူငယ်များ ၁၂ သန်းနီးပါးအတွက် ယင်းကဲ့သို့ကိစ္စရပ်များသည် သင်ယူလေ့လာရေး အကြပ်အတည်းကို ပိုမို ဆိုးရွားသွားစေမည်ဖြစ်သည်။ လုံခြုံရေးတပ်ဖွဲ့များအား တပ်စွဲထားသော အဆောက်အအုံဥပစာများမှ ချက်ချင်းဖယ်ရှားပေးကြရန်နှင့် ကျောင်းများနှင့် ပညာရေးအဆောက်အအုံများကို စစ်တပ် သို့မဟုတ် လုံခြုံရေး ဝန်ထမ်းများမှ အသုံးမပြုကြပါရန် ကျွန်ုပ်တို့အနေဖြင့် တောင်းဆိုလိုက်သည်။ မတ်လ ၁၉ ရက်အထိပြည်နယ်နှင့်တိုင်းဒေသကြီး ၁၃ ခုတွင် လုံခြုံရေးတပ်ဖွဲ့များသည် စာသင်ကျောင်းနှင့် တက္ကသိုလ်ပရိဝုဏ် ၆၀ကျော်တွင် တပ်စွဲထားကြောင်း သိရှိရသည်။ ဖြစ်ရပ်တစ်ခုတွင် လုံခြုံရေးတပ်ဖွဲ့များသည် အဆောက်အအုံ ဥပစာများအတွင်း ဝင်ရောက်ချိန်တွင် ဆရာ/ဆရာမနှစ်ဦးအား ရိုက်နှက်ပြီး အခြားလူပေါင်းများစွာကို ထိခိုက်ဒဏ်ရာများ ရရှိစေခဲ့သည်ဟု သိရှိရသည်။ ဆေးရုံများအပါအဝင် အခြားအများပြည်သူပိုင်အဆောက်အအုံများတွင်လည်း တပ်စွဲထားကြသည်။ ဤဖြစ်ရပ်များသည် လက်ရှိအကျပ်အတည်း ဆက်လက်အရှိန်မြင့်တက်လာ‌ခြင်းကိုပြပြီး ကလေးသူငယ် အခွင့်အရေးများကို ပြင်းပြင်းထန်ထန် ချိုးဖောက်ရာရောက်ပါသည်။ မည်သို့သော အခြေအနေမျိုးတွင်မှ ကျောင်းများကို လုံခြုံရေးတပ်ဖွဲ့ဝင်များက အသုံးမပြုရပါ။ ကလေးသူငယ်အခွင့်အရေးများဆိုင်ရာ သဘောတူညီချက်စာချုပ် (CRC)၊ မြန်မာနိုင်ငံ ကလေးသူငယ် အခွင့်အရေးများဆိုင်ရာ ဥပဒေနှင့် အမျိုးသားပညာရေးဥပဒေတို့တွင် ဖော်ပြပါရှိသည့် မြန်မာနိုင်ငံရှိ ကလေးသူငယ်များနှင့် လူငယ်များ၏ အခွင့်အရေးများအားလုံးကို စောင့်ထိန်းလိုက်နာရမည့် ၎င်းတို့၏ ဝတ္တရားများကို လုံခြုံရေးတပ်ဖွဲ့များအားလုံးက စောင့်ထိန်းလိုက်နာရန် သတိပေးလိုက်ရပြီး အမြင့်ဆုံးကန့်သတ်ထိန်းချုပ်မှုကို ကျင့်သုံးရန်နှင့် ပညာရေးဆိုင်ရာ အဆောက်အအုံများ၊ ဝန်ထမ်းများ၊ ကျောင်းသားများနှင့် အခြားအများပြည်သူပိုင် အဆောက်အအုံများကို သိမ်းပိုက်ခြင်းနှင့် ဝင်ရောက်နှောင့်ယှက်ခြင်းပုံစံမျိုးစုံကို အဆုံးသတ်ရန် ကျွန်ုပ်တို့က တောင်းဆိုလိုက်သည်။..."
Source/publisher: UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) (New York)
2021-03-19
Date of entry/update: 2021-05-01
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Sub-title: The derailing of Hkakabo Razi’s World Heritage bid reveals a multifaceted battle of interests spanning international conservation, commercial exploitation, party politics and local desires to wrest back forest management.
Description: "This story was produced with support from the Rainforest Journalism Fund, an initiative of the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting. In late 2018, ethnic Rawang in Kachin State’s northern Hkakabo Razi region turned against the Forest Department and its international partner, the Wildlife Conservation Society, and drove them out following a series of protests and the torching of a Forest Department guard post. “The communities don’t let anyone in; their minds are so wounded,” said Ko Phong Phong, a Rawang youth from Khar Lam village, in the foothills of Hponkan Razi, a mountain in Putao Township. The expulsion of the two groups marked the culmination of rising tensions over a plan to nominate 11,280 square kilometres known as the Hkakabo Razi Landscape – named after its dominant feature, Hkakabo Razi, Southeast Asia’s tallest peak – as a UNESCO World Heritage Site based on the area’s natural significance. Support independent journalism in Myanmar. Sign up to be a Frontier member. The “landscape” includes the 3,810 sq km Hkakabo Razi National Park in Nawngmun Township, designated a conservation area in 1998, the 2,700 sq km Hponkan Razi Wildlife Sanctuary in Putao and Machanbaw Townships, designated in 2003, and a proposed 4,778 sq km “southern extension” to Hkakabo Razi National Park that encompasses parts of Putao, Nawngmun and Machanbaw townships. These heavily forested areas host a scattering of remote villages, whose residents must walk for several days to purchase even basic supplies. The areas also possess a rich store of biodiversity, including endangered flora and fauna. A closer look at what led to the dramatic eviction of forestry officials and a major international conservation NGO – and the derailing of a World Heritage bid – reveals a complex battle of interests spanning international conservation, commercial exploitation, party politics and local desires to wrest back forest management..."
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Source/publisher: "Frontier Myanmar" (Myanmar)
2020-06-04
Date of entry/update: 2020-06-09
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Description: "Outrage is growing in Myanmar after the emergence of a 12-minute porn video shot in Bagan, the country’s best-known tourist hotspot and a UNESCO heritage site with thousands of hallowed Buddhist pagodas. The video was posted on PornHub by users “YeeesYeeesYeees”, who describe themselves as a 23-year-old Italian couple with piercings and tattoos. According to the site, the pair boasts more than 81,000 subscribers and over 35 million video views since they joined 11 months ago. But the couple’s naked antics against one of Bagan’s ancient pagodas have been less than well-received in Myanmar, with condemnation spreading online. “Our Bagan pagodas are The Holy Land,” wrote Mg Khin Gyi on Facebook with multiple angry emojis. The video in question had been viewed nearly a quarter of a million times by Thursday evening – but registered twice as many dislikes as likes. Managing director of New Fantastic Asia tour company, Tun Tun Naing, questioned what seemed to be “negligent” security at Bagan’s sites and called for action..."
Source/publisher: Agence France-Presse (AFP) (France) via "Asia Times" (Hong Kong)
2020-02-14
Date of entry/update: 2020-02-15
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Sub-title: Myanmar has applied for UNESCO to recognise Mrauk-U in Rakhine State as a World Heritage Site despite continuing clashes between the Tatmadaw (military) and Arakan Army (AA).
Description: "Mrauk-U, which was the capital of the powerful Arakanese Kingdom from the 15th to 17th centuries, currently restricts visitors for security reasons. The Ministry of Religious Affairs and Culture said it submitted its application for Mrauk-U to UNESCO in January. U Thura Aung, secretary of Myanmar Archaeology Research, expressed hope that peace would soon return to the area. Experts were a bit concerned about the damage caused by an artillery shell that hit a gate near the ancient Htukkan Thein temple and the west side of the ancient Mye Hte pagoda during fighting between the Tatmadaw and AA last year. The Myanmar Archaeology Association urged the two sides to declare a truce in the area because it is being considered as a World Heritage Site Archaeologists have called on the local government and people to mediate an end to the fighting. They are confident that Mrauk-U’s 80,000 pagodas and forts qualify it to be named a World Heritage Site. UNESCO is expected to decide on Mrauk-U’s application by April, and send experts to conduct a site inspection between September and January next year. Nationalists march against amendment effort Hundreds of nationalists marched through downtown Yangon on January 9 to oppose amendments to the 2008 Constitution, especially its ban on citizens who marry foreigners from becoming president or vice president. The activists accused some groups of working with foreign powers to subvert the Buddhist religion and Myanmar’s sovereignty..."
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Source/publisher: "Myanmar Times" (Myanmar)
2020-02-14
Date of entry/update: 2020-02-14
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: "Myanmar is well-known for its cultural and historical heritage but is generally lesser-known for its rich natural wonders which showcase an impressive and unique biodiversity. Unfortunately, these natural heritage sites are increasingly coming under threat as a result of unchecked logging, illegal wildlife trade, as well as unsustainable agricultural and fishery practices, among others. Over the past several years, UNESCO has supported the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation (MONREC) in strengthening its capacity to protect and manage the country’s natural heritage sites. In 2014, Myanmar, for the very first time listed seven natural sites on the World Heritage tentative list. In late 2018, with UNESCO’s support, the Government reaffirmed its engagement to strengthen the level of protection of these “Seven Natural Wonders”, by developing a Roadmap for World Heritage Nomination of Natural Sites. As part of its endeavor to get the natural wonders of Myanmar better known and to raise awareness on the importance of protecting and conserving these sites for World Heritage status, UNESCO, with the financial support of the government of Norway produced a short video and booklet entitled ‘Discover Myanmar’s Seven Natural Wonders’..."
Source/publisher: UNESCO (Myanmar)
2019-02-17
Date of entry/update: 2019-11-11
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: "Pagodas are seen in the ancient city of Bagan, Myanmar, July 5, 2019. Myanmar is campaigning for Bagan, an ancient city in the central part of the country, to be included in the 2019 UNESCO World Heritage list. (Xinhua/U Aung)...Pagodas are seen in the ancient city of Bagan, Myanmar, July 5, 2019. Myanmar is campaigning for Bagan, an ancient city in the central part of the country, to be included in the 2019 UNESCO World Heritage list. (Xinhua/U Aung)...Pagodas are seen in the ancient city of Bagan, Myanmar, July 5, 2019. Myanmar is campaigning for Bagan, an ancient city in the central part of the country, to be included in the 2019 UNESCO World Heritage list. (Xinhua/U Aung)...A pagoda is seen in the ancient city of Bagan, Myanmar, July 5, 2019. Myanmar is campaigning for Bagan, an ancient city in the central part of the country, to be included in the 2019 UNESCO World Heritage list. (Xinhua/U Aung)...A woman walks past a pagoda in the ancient city of Bagan, Myanmar, July 5, 2019. Myanmar is campaigning for Bagan, an ancient city in the central part of the country, to be included in the 2019 UNESCO World Heritage list. (Xinhua/U Aung)...Pagodas are seen in the ancient city of Bagan, Myanmar, July 5, 2019. Myanmar is campaigning for Bagan, an ancient city in the central part of the country, to be included in the 2019 UNESCO World Heritage list. (Xinhua/U Aung)...A temple is seen in the ancient city of Bagan, Myanmar, July 5, 2019. Myanmar is campaigning for Bagan, an ancient city in the central part of the country, to be included in the 2019 UNESCO World Heritage list. (Xinhua/U Aung)...Pagodas are seen in the ancient city of Bagan, Myanmar, July 5, 2019. Myanmar is campaigning for Bagan, an ancient city in the central part of the country, to be included in the 2019 UNESCO World Heritage list. (Xinhua/U Aung)..."
Source/publisher: "Xinhua" (China) via "Global Times" (China)
2019-07-06
Date of entry/update: 2019-10-15
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Description: "Myanmar’s Ministry of Religious Affairs and Culture submitted a draft to UNESCO of its nomination for Mrauk-U to become a World Heritage Site on Sept. 24, amid concerns that ongoing violence in the area could wreck local residents’ hopes for the future of their town. “If there were peace, I am sure Mrauk-U would be recognized by UNESCO, as our cultural heritage meets the selection criteria but with the fighting, it can’t become a World Heritage Site,” Daw Khin Than, chairwoman of the Mrauk-U Heritage Trust, told The Irrawaddy. Myanmar is set to submit its final application to UNESCO by Jan. 31, 2020 and experts from the independent International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) will conduct a field visit to Mrauk-U in September 2020. Daw Khin Than said she wants to see stability restored in Mrauk-U before the visit. Based on the findings of the ICOMOS officials, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee will issue a verdict on the application at the group’s 45th session in 2021..."
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Source/publisher: "The Irrawaddy" (Thailand)
2019-10-07
Date of entry/update: 2019-10-08
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Sub-title: Far from the bright lights of Yangon and Mandalay, a Bagan local has managed to build up a business empire – with help from some friends in high places, according to residents.
Description: "FOR MORE than 40 years, U Nyunt Lu has been a caretaker at Gubyaukgyi Pagoda, an Indian-influenced temple built in the 12th century, providing security and ensuring precious wall paintings are not damaged. To carry out his duties, Nyunt Lu has lived in a small house beside the pagoda compound since 1988. But now he faces eviction at the end of October, because the house is on land that has been claimed by one of the area’s most prominent and influential businesspeople, U Myo Min Oo. Nyunt Lu’s house is on a plot between the pagoda compound in Wetkyi-In village, northeast of Old Bagan, and the boundary of Royal House Hotel, one of four at Bagan owned by Myo Min Oo, who has extensive business interests in the area. Nyunt Lu said he believes it was built on land donated to the pagoda by Daw Khin Mar Kyi, a resident of nearby Nyaung-U (Frontier was unable to contact Khin Mar Kyi). “I have lived here since 1988 when the land was owned by someone I did not know, but now the Settlement and Land Records Department says the land is owned by Myo Min Oo,” Nyunt Lu told Frontier at his house. He said his eviction is being supported by the Archaeology Department, which wants him to relocate to another house about 600 metres from Gubyaukgyi Pagoda. The Archaeology Department and Myo Min Oo disapproved of him discussing his predicament with visitors, he added. U Aung Aung Kyaw, director of the Department of Archaeology, National Museum and Library in Bagan, told Frontier that there was no record of such a donation and the land is owned by Myo Min Oo. “That’s why the pagoda caretaker [Nyunt Lu] has to relocate,” he said. Several sources said the pagoda compound contained two ancient stupas, but Myo Min Oo allowed no one to enter except guests at the hotel. According to Nyunt Lu, he has instructed his staff to initiate legal action for trespassing against anyone, including Archaeology Department officials, if they enter the hotel without permission. Gubyaukgyi Pagoda is in the Ancient Monument Zone, where development is prohibited under a management plan prepared by Myanmar as part of its application for Bagan to be added to the UNESCO World Heritage List..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "Frontier Myanmar"
2019-09-12
Date of entry/update: 2019-09-14
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: "Nwe Ni Win describes the challenges and successes of Myanmar teachers using mobile technologies in their classrooms for the first time. Nwe Ni works as a Programme Assistant for UNESCO's ICT for Education project in Myanmar. Join Nwe Ni as she travels to the schools and supports the teachers on this journey. UNESCO’s ICT for Education project in Myanmar is part of Ericsson’s Connect To Learn initiative and UK Department for International Development’s Girls’ Education Challenge..."
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Source/publisher: "UNESCO"
2016-09-20
Date of entry/update: 2019-08-16
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Description: "Myanmar is making a second bid to list its ancient city of Bagan as a World Heritage Site, more than 20 years after the global body rejected its first attempt. About 300,000 tourists flock to Bagan annually, and the move could give tourism a boost. It could also pave the way for more committed protection to the 3,822 sacred monuments there..."
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Source/publisher: CNA
2019-06-28
Date of entry/update: 2019-08-07
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: Under the Strengthening Pre-service Teacher Education in Myanmar (STEM) project, a joint visit to Kyaukphyu Education College was held on 13 June 2018. Accompanied by the Deputy Director-General of the Department of Higher Education, the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), Embassy of Finland in Yangon, UK Department for International Development (DFID) and UNESCO visited Kyaukphyu Education College and its practicing school to conduct an orientation on teacher education reform and the project and to understand issues relating to pre-service teacher education in Kyaukphyu. On 14 June 2018, the group also visited Kyaukphyu Township Education Office, a Basic Education primary school and a Basic Education middle school to gain better understanding of the various teacher issues such as teacher deployment and transfer arrangements, which are useful to feed into further dialogues for teacher policy development that the project is supporting.
Source/publisher: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO)
2018-06-21
Date of entry/update: 2019-06-20
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Description: After 50 years of isolation, Myanmar is today transitioning to a market-based economy with a strong potential for inclusive growth. Although the country has already undertaken a series of reforms, high youth unemployment still poses a daunting challenge and young people still lack the essential skills required by many occupational sectors. This is partly due to a weak technical and vocational education and training (TVET) system that is not yet able to respond to the needs articulated by enterprises. As part of a week-long scoping mission organized by UNESCO and Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), Borhene Chakroun, Section Chief of Youth, Literacy and Skills Development at UNESCO HQ, was invited as an expert to join the mission. A number of meetings and field visits were held with different key stakeholders and line Ministries. This joint UNESCO-GIZ initiative aimed to explore areas of collaboration to support the Department of TVET of the Ministry of Education in developing a conceptual framework for an effective and harmonized quality assurance system for TVET qualifications. Only the acquisition of practical skills relating to various occupations will respond to the short-term and long-term demand for skills, and help achieve the sustainable development objectives of the country. During the course of this week, GIZ and UNESCO had the opportunity to conduct field visits to different schools and training centers, such as the Government Technical High School Ywama and the Government Technology Institute in Insein, Yangon. Representatives from the Aung Myin Garment Training Center and the Bogard Lingerie Yangon Limited training center were also able to share their insights and perspectives on the demands and needs of the garment sector. On the last day of the mission, 18 May 2018, a seminar was organized with around 30 participants from the government, educational institutions, the private sector and development agencies, that UNESCO and GIZ experts engaged with during the week on developing a harmonized assistance system for TVET qualifications. The event gave Mr Chakroun the opportunity to share his own international experience in reinforcing quality assurance of TVET, and most of all, after an intensive week share his own observations and recommendations on the range of next steps that can be taken to promote the development of TVET in Myanmar. This UNESCO-GIZ mission is likely to be the first of a series to be organized during the upcoming year, as part of a collective effort to promote Sustainable Development Goal 8: decent work and economic growth.
Source/publisher: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO)
2018-06-12
Date of entry/update: 2019-06-20
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Description: With the deadline fast approaching for the submission of the World Heritage Nomination Dossier for Mrauk U in 2020, heritage experts, consultants and affiliated professionals are hard at work to finish in time. Mrauk U, the capital of the historical Arakan Kingdom in present-day Rakhine State, is an outstanding example of ancient urbanization preserving architectural remains such as forts, temples, stupas, and other structures, all of which exhibit a variety of multicultural elements. ‘First, we must protect Mrauk U heritage region,’ said Thura U Aung Ko, Minister of Religious Affairs and Culture. ‘Secondly, this protection must be in line with international standards.’ The city served as an important trading port on the Bay of Bengal between the 16th and 18th centuries. In particular, historians and experts are convinced that the power of the Mrauk U Kingdom and its crucial military and economic role in the region derived from a well-engineered water management system. Recent investigations carried out by a multi-disciplinary team lead by the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Culture - Department of Archaeology and National Museums (DoA) and UNESCO have contributed to a better understanding of this complex engineering system. The combination of water management and defensive infrastructure including trenches, fortified walls, water gates and canals, and their strategic siting inside and outside the city, demonstrate in part why Mrauk U was such an important and powerful capital. The city is ‘an exceptional testimony to the Rakhine cultural tradition of extant and advanced water military-agrarian landscape settlement’, said Dr Shikha Jain, a Cultural Heritage expert. With the complex, continuing conflicts and rapid economic development in Rakhine State, World Heritage inscription is all the more important to help protect the site and raise awareness about the cultural and communal values at stake. While World Heritage inscriptions safeguard cultural components of the site, the local community and other sectors must benefit from nomination as well. ‘For sure, the nomination raises awareness about heritage issues, gives people pride about their legacy as well as their history and it challenges people to feel responsible for the ruins,’ said Dr Jacques P Leider, an historian and Rakhine expert from the renown Ecole française d'Extrême-Orient. ‘Rakhine people are already very proud of their heritage and the nomination can truly transform this energy into the noble aim of preserving the historical sites according to international standards.’ An additional challenge is to guarantee that the nomination will have a positive impact on the local economy to contribute to much-needed positive change in Rakhine State. In this sense, topics such as community development, tourism planning and environmental management are also addressed during the process leading to nomination as more stakeholders are brought into the conversation. To achieve long-term sustainability of Mrauk U, local authorities, relevant ministries and other participants need to coordinate their efforts. The conservation of cultural values needs to be balanced with people’s expectations, mitigating factors that may affect the site while promoting the livelihoods and development of the local community. ‘Every step of [the] planning process must be done in a transparent, inclusive and participatory manner,’ said Min Jeong Kim, Head of UNESCO Myanmar Office, adding it is necessary to avoid potential conflict and ensure that mistakes from the past are not repeated. With support from UNESCO, the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation, World Bank, Southeast University and other national and international experts, the DoA is coordinating the joint effort to inscribe the ancient capital on the World Heritage list.
Source/publisher: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO)
2019-02-15
Date of entry/update: 2019-06-20
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Description: As Myanmar raises the quality of the education system through teacher education reforms, it needs teachers with the right values, skills and knowledge to be effective practitioners. To achieve this, a Teacher Competency Standards Framework (TCSF) provides the guidance to build a quality teacher workforce. In order to finalize the Myanmar TCSF for implementation, a workshop to design a validation study was held in Nay Pyi Taw on 2 November 2018. In his opening remarks, the Union Minister of Education, Dr Myo Thein Gyi, emphasized the importance of TCSF in improving the quality of teaching and in achieving education reform and fostering deep learning in Myanmar schools. The draft TCSF has been developed by a respected group of national professional education experts. The core Working Group members were drawn from Yangon University of Education, Sagaing University of Education and the University for the Development of National Races, with invited representatives from Yankin, Thingangyun and Hlegu Education Colleges participating on behalf of the 25 nationally distributed Education Colleges. The TCSF documents clear and concise profiles of what teachers are expected to know and be able to do as well as how they should demonstrate their teaching knowledge and skills at different stages of their careers. These stages are categorized as beginning, experienced, expert and lead teachers. The Framework also establishes benchmarks against which progress in professional development can be assessed over time, ensuring that appraisal and feedback are used in a supportive way to recognise effective practice. The full draft of the TCSF for beginning teachers is ready for further consultation and validation, before it can be finalized and implemented widely in the country. The workshop, which was the first of two to design the study, was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Education, the National Education Policy Committee, National Accreditation and Quality Assurance Committee, National Curriculum Committee, TCSF Working Group, the teachers’ union and development partners. Together, they discussed options for the validation study, based on findings from a literature review. In groups, workshop attendees considered different types of validity, and how each type of validity might be demonstrated in the study. Dr Myo Thein Gyi thanked the collaborative efforts of the Strengthening Pre-service Teacher Education in Myanmar (STEM) project with technical assistance from UNESCO and financial contributions from the Governments of Australia, Finland and UK, and Australia’s Myanmar Education Quality Improvement Program (My-EQIP) with technical support from the Australian Council for Educational Research for the TCSF validation study.The group will meet again later in November 2018 to finalize the design of the validation study. The TCSF for beginning teachers is to be finalized by the end of 2019. The validation study findings will then provide evidence for the further development of standards and indicators for higher levels of teaching practice under TCSF, as well as methods through which these might be assessed and implemented. Further reading: http://www.moe.gov.mm/en/?q=content/first-validation-study-design-workshop-tcsf-held-nay-pyi-taw
Source/publisher: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO)
2018-11-14
Date of entry/update: 2019-06-20
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Creator/author: Gwang-Jo Kim
Source/publisher: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO)
2015-01-01
Date of entry/update: 2019-06-20
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 332.32 KB
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Description: Urgent challenges for learning achievement in Myanmar include child labour, students being too tired or hungry to study, different languages, and parental lack of interest, among many other factors. Addressing those major systemic obstacles, UNESCO lent its support to PTZA, the Myanmar Literacy Resource Center (MLRC) and Department of Alternative Education (DAE) to organize a training workshop on 24-25 November 2018 at Kamayut No 1 high school in Yangon, bringing together about 200 participants, including government officials at the regional and township levels as well as facilitators and teachers of Non-formal Primary Education (NFPE). Based on the recognition that teachers and township officials on the ground often better understand solutions to present-day problems, the main objectives of the workshop were to address urgent challenges on the ground and share immediate solutions and innovative ideas for higher retention and learning achievement. While appreciating long-term strategies such as policy development, capacity development and system strengthening, the participants were encouraged to share are experiences, knowledge and actions that are already working on the ground through mind-mapping methodologies. Participants recognized various challenges, such as ‘long distances to the learning centre’, ‘mobile/nomadic family’, ‘parents’ lack of interest toward education’, ‘child labour to support family’, ‘different mother languages’, ‘too hungry/tired to study’, and many others. For all these challenges, the participants shared practical and immediate solutions, presenting practices and cases that they had tried and new ideas produced through brainstorming. Walls in the classrooms became covered in notes about case studies and new ideas: ‘To have direct dialogues with parents’, ‘to have regular meetings or collaborate among teachers, parents and the community’, ‘to have mobile facilitators’, ‘to ensure extra hours for ethnic children’, ‘to introduce income-generation programmes’, ‘to publicize NFPE through media’, ‘to get supports from local companies’, and many other ideas. These ideas and discussions will be documented and disseminated to the other stakeholders including 1,000 NFPE facilitators across Myanmar. At the end of workshop, Mr Tin Nyo, an officer of the MRLC, emphasized strengthening connections and collaboration among NFPE implementers, including by introducing Facebook pages for NFPE Myanmar to promote continuous professional development. According to 2014 census data, 2.7 million children from five to 16 years old in Myanmar do not attend school or have dropped out before finishing the primary level. Due to the generous support of UNICEF, UNESCO and other donors, the expansion of the NFPE programme has been remarkable over the past 10 years, currently providing more than 10,000 disadvantaged children with learning opportunities. Yet participants realize that there are enormous numbers of children and youth who still need alternative learning opportunities.
Source/publisher: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO)
2018-11-29
Date of entry/update: 2019-06-20
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Description: During a recent walking tour in Yangon, 32 young people explored the city’s diverse communities and how people with differing religious and ethnic identities can live in harmony with each other. Over the course of the day, the youth, who represent eight of Myanmar’s ethnic groups, visited quarters of the downtown area where different groups, including Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, Christians and Jews, live side by side in vibrant communities. The event marked Myanmar’s first celebration of World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development, highlighting themes that are vital to Myanmar’s future in many ways. Peaceful co-existence among different ethnic and religious communities is, of course, a top priority in a country that has been wracked by internal strife for decades. How can Myanmar build on World Day for Cultural Diversity and Dialogue to realize these aspirations and build a more harmonious and just society for all? Continuing violent conflicts in Kachin, Rakhine and Shan states are fueled by a complex mix of drivers, but certainly ethnic and communal identities and perceived differences contribute to a continued level of volatility. Even outside the conflict zones, prejudice and discrimination too often lead to hate speech and social conflict. Myanmar’s extraordinary diversity with 135 distinct ethnic groups and manifold language groups presents unique challenges. Yet the walking tour in Yangon, through disparate communities that have for the most part have lived peacefully side by side, also explored models of coexistence and cooperation between communities without compromising each’s identity or values. Following the tour, which marked Myanmar’s first celebration of World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development, an event at City Hall was attended by members of the Yangon Region Government, diplomatic community, and young people and other representatives of ethnic communities. “Appreciation of cultural diversity should be at the roots of development, not simply in terms of economic growth, but also as a means to better achieve sustainable development goals,” said Min Jeong Kim, Head of UNESCO Myanmar Project Office. The event also provided an occasion for the young participants, who were selected based on their membership in ethnic cultural and literary associations, to share their voices about cultural diversity based on their experiences. Representing the Bamar, Chin, Kachin, Kayah, Kayin, Mon, Rakhine and Shan ethnic groups, the young people divided themselves into four groups symbolizing Diversity, Harmony, Prosperity and Unity, each comprising eight participants. “Diversity means coexisting in peace despite differences” was the lesson drawn from the walking tour, espoused by the group of the same name. “Through the historical narrative of the walking tour, we learned that people of different cultures in Myanmar used to learn, share and adopt each other’s culture,” representatives from Harmony said. “This celebration reminds us of the uniqueness and beautiful concept of diversity. It is our responsibility to cherish the similarities and embrace the differences of our culture.” The paired goals of development and peace also has particular resonance. “Despite our differences, we are all human and everyone is the same at the end of the day,” Prosperity members said. “With respect and understanding of diverse cultures, we will be able to drive towards sustainable development goals and thus achieve peace.” There was recognition that peaceful co-existence also involves an appreciation of differences. “We do not have to be feared to express ourselves, our ethnicity and our individualism,” Unity representatives said. “Throughout this walking tour, we witnessed signs of diversity everywhere we visited. However, it still remains a duty of every citizen to create an enabling environment for more people to accept the fact that diversity is beautiful.” “This celebration is a wonderful opportunity for the promotion of cultural diversity in Myanmar,” said U Maung Maung Soe, Minister of Municipal Affairs for the Yangon Region Government. “It is hoped that it will bring unity and a sense of harmony among the diverse cultures in Myanmar.”
Source/publisher: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO)
2019-06-11
Date of entry/update: 2019-06-20
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Description: The United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID) and UNESCO recently signed a memorandum of understanding for USD 1 million for the next two years to support Phase II of the Strengthening Pre-Service Teacher Education in Myanmar (STEM) project. DFID has joined a group of existing donors of the STEM project, including Australian Aid, the Government of Finland and the multi-donor fund under the Capacity Development for Education (CapED) programme of UNESCO. In addition to the contribution, DFID will launch the Towards Results in Education and English (TREE) project, a component of DFID’s Burma-UK Partnership for Education (BUPE), and work closely with the STEM project to improve pre-service teacher education in Myanmar. Started in 2014 and 2017 respectively, the aim of Phase I and Phase II of the STEM project is to improve the Myanmar pre-service teacher education system through policy and institutional capacity development. The project combines upstream and downstream activities for upgrading the current two-year teacher education diploma programme to a four-year degree programme in line with national priorities outlined in the Myanmar National Education Strategic Plan 2016-2021. UNESCO has been supporting the development of a comprehensive teacher policy informed by international norms and standards on human rights, gender equality and the rights of teachers as well as a national Teacher Competency Standards Framework. Additionally, it builds capacity of the Ministry of Education-assigned core team on curriculum development and develops a new competency-based curriculum for Education Colleges. Furthermore, the project provides support to improve the efficiency of human resources and financial management systems at Education Colleges, including projection of human resources needs and related costing and improvement of ICT in teaching, learning and management. Mainstreaming of inclusion and equity issues in policy and curriculum development also constitutes an important component of all outcome areas of the STEM project. Main photo caption: A committed curriculum core team, comprising teacher educators from Education Colleges and Universities of Education, provides valuable input in developing a new competency-based curriculum for pre-service teacher education in Myanmar, with the financial support from multi-donors including UK DFID and technical support by UNESCO. ©UNESCO/A. Tam
Source/publisher: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO)
2018-10-01
Date of entry/update: 2019-06-20
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Description: Phase II of the Strengthening Pre-Service Teacher Education in Myanmar (STEM) project has recently received an additional USD 2,250,000 from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). This amount for the next two years, comes after the completion of Phase I of the project, which was also financially supported by DFAT with an amount of USD 2,500,000. In addition to DFAT, the Phase II of the project is supported by the Government of Finland with EUR 3,250,000 and USD 500,000 from the multi-donor fund under the Capacity Development for Education (CapED) programme of UNESCO. Started in 2014, the STEM project aims at improving the Myanmar pre-service teacher education system through policy and institutional capacity development. The project is contributing to both the upstream and downstream work of improving pre-service teacher education in Myanmar and in line with relevant Government priorities in the Myanmar National Education Strategic Plan 2016-2021. As a key component of the government’s teacher education reform is to upgrade the current two-year diploma programme to a four-year teacher education degree programme, UNESCO Project Office in Myanmar has been actively working towards transforming the teacher education curriculum into a competency-based one. The STEM project is currently focusing on supporting the Ministry of Education (MoE) and its curriculum core team in drafting 14 subject and learning area syllabi and the corresponding student teacher textbooks and teacher educator guides for the first year of the new Education College (EC) degree. An online learning portal prototype is being tested and developed in order to create knowledge platforms and networks among ECs. Moreover, UNESCO Project Office in Myanmar is supporting a MoE-assigned working group in drafting a Teacher Competency Standards Framework (TCSF), which articulates the expectations for what a teacher should know and be able to do in the classroom. Further support is also provided regarding the management of ECs, including the calculation of teacher needs and costing for the roll-out of the 4-year EC degree. Mainstreaming of inclusion and equity issues in policy and curriculum development also constitutes an important component of all outcome areas of the STEM project.
Source/publisher: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO)
2018-06-27
Date of entry/update: 2019-06-20
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Description: "Reporters Without Borders (RSF) congratulates Burmese journalists Kyaw Soe Oo and Wa Lone on today’s announcement that they are to be awarded UNESCO’s Guillermo Cano Press Freedom Prize and reiterates its call for their immediate release. Imprisoned in Myanmar for the past 15 months, these two Reuters reporters were sentenced to seven years in prison for investigating a massacre of civilians during ethnic cleansing operations by Myanmar’s security forces against the country’s Rohingya minority. RSF proposed Kyaw Soe Oo and Wa Lone as candidates for this prestigious prize and hails the jury’s decision to award it to them. This recognition comes as the two journalists await a decision by Myanmar’s supreme court in Naypyidaw, which registered their appeal on 26 March. “This prize is a reminder that Kyaw Soe Oo and Wa Lone are symbols of courage and resistance in a country where it is still very difficult for journalists to work freely,” said Daniel Bastard, the head of RSF’s Asia-Pacific desk. “They should not be behind bars. We issue a solemn appeal to Myanmar’s highest judicial authorities to respect the rule of law and to end the travesty of justice to which these two reporters are being subjected.” Myanmar is ranked 137th out of 180 countries in RSF's 2018 World Press Freedom Index..."
Source/publisher: Reporters Without Borders
2019-04-10
Date of entry/update: 2019-06-16
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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