University of Distance Education

West University of Yangon

       I passed my matriculation exam in the year 2002.Just after the exam i left my home township, Aung Lan, Magway Division,Burma.Eventually i went to Yangon ( the formal Capital City of Burma)to get a job in the factory where i could possibly work and earn a bit amount of money.So with my elder sister's help,as soon as i reached to Yangon, i got a job.This job was terrible and it was the first job ever in my whole life. My goal of working is to earn the money for my distance Education fees so you could imagine that how this distance university education fees is still very heavy.

       Anyway, i started to study my distance education at West University of Yangon from two years of my matriculation result.It is required that after passing the matriculation exam ( the ten standards in Burma), we have to wait a year off from school and be ready to attend at the university.No matter we are decided to go to attend the day university or distance university.
       The other important thing about my university process was that i passed my matriculation exam in Aung Lan township, Magway Division so that i am required to enter the university in Magway rather than any other university in the country. If i want to go to attend  other university in Burma, i have to do a paper application. The process of application to transfer the university entry is very expensive and it has to do with a lot of paper works.However, these steps were not my headache since my father did for me.I was only noticed that these papers works were done by my Daddy and he shared about it as information. It really cost much money.
         Again, after i registered at the West University of Yangon, the registration matters were done by my elder sister who was already a senior student at the same university majoring in History, Distance Education.After the registration, I got some text books and cassette tapes and a few memorable stuffs of the university. The only thing i have to do was that i needed to buy assignment book which is written by one of the professor and these assignments were supported to be copy by the hand writings. After copying every single words from the written special book into the plain A4 sheets.Yes,my works assignment is done and i just needed to send to my department of laws (Distance Education) at the West University of Yangon.I have to pay little money to submit the assignment.Then for the whole year, i have to submit two assignments in total and i have to take final exam at the university.
         In my first year,i was too naive about my university process and general knowledge.For no reason,I did not ask my sister much too.I just took as easy as i thought.Thereupon, even the education is not that valued if the students take it easy, the students fail. Yes, i failed my first year of the university.It was the warning that i must be taking the education seriously though it is surface learning, memorizing the texts and  finally vomiting is in the exams. That was important if the students want to get a so called degree in BA,Bsc or whatever degrees.For my first year second time, i came to know that i must attend  private tuition.It is very necessary to attend the private tuition for passing the yearly exam. The tuition which i took was at the central of Yangon. I usually took the classes in the evenings in weekdays and weekends. The private tuition teachers are mostly governmental professors from the East University of Yangon.The students were from the distance Education laws both East and West University of Yangon.The lessons are all supposed to be memorized until the exam days. After the exams everything gone with the wind. It is the only time that we have to recall is when we work on the study related jobs.This i learned from my friends who are working at the courts.

High School Level of Education in Burma

  

Real Taste and Excitement of Education

      The Burmese High school level must be the most exciting transition from the primary level to its higher level of study for any student in Burma. Students from Burma are happy to be at the very begining of the high school level though the school fees for our parents become higher. Sometimes the school expenses are much very tight  for the struggling Buirmese parents.

       
       Apart from those of difficulty for the parents regarding with the high school fees, another interesting thing again is that since the school children in Burma attend at the primary school nearby their home, when there is a term for high school study there is no other choice. And the students have to join the limited high schools based on the respective township. In my home city, Aung Lan, there are only two high schools where we could fulfill our high school level and the rest of the schools are primary and pre-high schools level.

Photo taken from here

             The apperance of the high school are usually much more beautiful as well as biger than the primary schools and others. It also usually have a larger campus. Of course, there will be more teachers and more activities provided. Not only the accesses are variety at the high schools but also we ourself notice that this transition pioints out that we grow up. I think that is why this stage  is the most exciting level of schooling for the Burmese students.

         On the other hand, the students have to be becoming so serious about study and schooling becasue everything is started to count from this level of high school. Competation about study and other social stuffs between the students become much higer too. Even in my age of high school level that i did have to do extra classes which is called tutions. The extra classes are mostly taught by the teacher from public schools and it is somewhat necessary for the Burmese students to take the extra classes. These are paid by the students.   The teacher taught the lessons more emphasised at the extra classes. The public school's finishing time usually is 4 : 00 pm so that the extra clases are held in the late evening or in the next early morning.

        The levels of high school are named as five standards to the 10 standard. The five to eight standard use  similar crriculum for subjects such as Myanmar, English, Mathematics, Arts and Sciences. There curriculum provides the wider range of knowlege of this subjects areas. These five, six, seven, eight standards are less stressed study level comparing with the higest peek of Burmese study level like nine and ten standards for the Burmese students.

         When the Burmese students reach to the level of nine standards that they have to be worry and comfused that what area should they do for their further study. From nine standard, the students in Burma are divided to the field of Arts or Science study. That means the students who are doing arts will read arts subjects only  and the science will read science lessons only.  Based on the students making choice in their nine standard level, they have to continue their 10 standard which is called `Matriculartion exam ( the most important regional exam ) as well as their univeristy level.

Photo taken by education 1

       

Here, I would like to share my own experiences of nine and ten standard. I was not that studious student when i was even in high school level. I went to school because it was supposed to be the place where all my friends and myself should be according to my family and society's belief.  I didn't value any of my study till i completed my eight standards.

         It was nine standard which shaken me to be more concerntraded on my study before that time i was just enjoying my daily life and playing around with childhood friends. From the very begining of my class nine i have very much trouble deciding which study i want to do. Lately i decided to do art subjects and i took the course which is  enclosed subjects such as  Myanmar, English, Mathematics, History, Geography and Economic. Therefore i had never learned any of Chemistry, Physics and Biology untile i went to the university in Burma. That is actually the problem for almost a hundred students in Burma to whom i made interviewed last year because almost all of them are forced to make their further study decision, other outside influences and rumors about art students and so forth.Nonetheless, it was a great chance for me that i made a strong decision myself that i really wanted to be an art student. Due to my family's concept that I was so much free to make that decision. Nobody forced me what to do with my education.  May  be,  becasue of getting freedom  from home for making choices regarding with my education and the supports from my family that i could confidently study when i was nine standards and i studied much harder.  

            

         Yes, it was 2002 when i was in my ten standards and i had to prepare  for my biggest exam ( Matriculation Exam). This exam is the most challenging for any high school students that if they can not pass it, they are not allowed to attend any university in Burma. I was ever so concrened about my ten standards. During the Summer before i attend my ten standards, I memorized all poems in English text books, all the definitation of Myanmar literature from the Myanmar text books  and a few other possible  preperation. I also took extra classes ( paid tutions) for all subjects. It was the most busy study life for me ever. I memorized all subject throughout the year. I was almost ready to take matriculation exam when the time came but was still studying much harder. My parents always solded me to sleep early and take rest or join with them for outings. I usually refused that i wanted to finish up my particular study. It was the most favorite time in my stydy life that i tried and i achieved. I also felt while taking exams, once i said my mom that "I am going to pass". I was just so much confident  while the rest of my friends were so much worry about the exam. As i mentioned that this matriculation so very much challenging, many students in my country do not pass easily. It was about sixty students in my class ten and only about ten students passed. I was one of them and was so happy and began to value my education at the very last.

         After all, i would like to discuss so many things about igh schools study  but currrently it would be very ramdomly explinaion  on this blog since i do not do the real research over the needy of high schools and particular topic about high school in Burma. Hopefully, this page is giving you a few ideas about the Burmese high school study life, experiences, and thoughts. The blog representation is totally based on my own thoughts and experiences.

You will find similar content regarding Education in Burma here. I also cooperate with another information which is found under UNESCO report in Burma, here.

Primary Burmese Education

Photo credited to Myanmar States-map

Introduction to the Burmese Education 

             When we have a discussion about the Burmese Education in detail, first of all this would be necessary for any reader to introduce about Burmese Primary Education. Then, we later will explore more about the higher education and the distance university education on this "The Burmese Education" blog. In this specific sharing about the Burmese Education, there will be an additional discussion about the border education of Burma and Thailand but particularly this will focus on the Burmese students who are seeking out the border education and this blog will add some students' experiences of their education outside of Burma. Back to the main topic, I think, it is helpful for the readers to know from the basic of the Burmese Primary Education rather than directly talk about the higher education such as high school and university education in Burma. Thereupon, this blog will begin talking about my personal primary education experiences and knowledge, thoughts and sharing about Primary Education in Burma. These experiences and thoughts represent either the Burmese students throughout the country, students from my home city or only myself.

            Generally, Just like any other part of the world, the Burmese children also need to go to their primary schools when they are officially five years old. Even though It is usual for that the ordinary Burmese children are ready to go to their primary school when they are only five years old but not all the children. At that same time the middle class Burmese children may already come out from their nursery school and being ready to join their primary school having  basic sense about school and schooling. The fewest upper class children would attend to the English median primary schools from their English median nursery. Contiguously the upper class school children attend at the English median school till their high school studies. The fewest upper class children are countable and they especially from the two main cities ( Yangon and Mandalay) of  Burma. Obviously they are the rich. While the uncountable school children are from the other divisions and seven states. For me, when i was five years old i also went to the Burmese ordinary primary school and i never had experiences of nursery school when i was a little girl. I think is it somehow matters if we really compare for the study level and schooling behaviors.

               Probably as like any other  parts of the world's education divisions, classification of the schools is there in Burma too. Likewise, the Burmese children are generally sent to their respective primary schools which are somewhat distinguished based on class, the family background and the place where is near to the students' home. Mostly the school children study at schools which are within their birth place. I think, the majority people are stick to the place where they are born. Once, one of my high school teacher said that she was very qualified to get further study but she denied because her parents didn't want her to leave the home. For example: in my case, I was born in a small township called Aung Lan, Magway Division, Burma. I only went my primary and high school in Aung Lan. It is similar situation to many of my childhood friends who came to attend the primary school in Aung Lan only. May be because of the family business and preference.

Photo credited to BK4

some of my friends go for the primary school which is assumed to be a better one. However, many of my friends joined to the school where i attended. From my personal point of view, the schools are not really differed from each other but only the people  from my own society make them different. For this reason many people believe that particular schools are better than the rest of the schools. Unfortunately, because of the set up beliefs the resources are lack for those schools which are behind for many reasons. For example, only the children who are from the poor family background go for the same school. Therefore, they would not be getting additional supports from their parents. It essentially is the difference. The school children should get equally supports from their society as well as the entire governmental policy and so forth. They should be entirely provided to their room of improvements. That is what i would like to share about the division between schools and its name of popularity. There is not a single evidence whether one school is better than the other or not. We may need to find out the reality. However, the experience which i had got is the truth  The people in the society always are happy to classify even about the primary school.

Photo Credit here

                 Nevertheless, every school in my country has to use the same curriculum in any public school within the state nation. I am not so sure whether this is a good thing for the Burmese school children or not. Again the teaching style almost exactly is the same throughout the nation. The point is that the education system was inter-related with the political system.  Since, my country, Burma under the military government, it has been for a few decades ( indeed more than five decades) that the education system was all controlled by particular system, ministers as well as the center government. Many scholars about Burma study and references about Burmese Education always argue that there is a direct relation between the power of the military government and the lower education is related proportionality related. The most famous statement by many of the Burmese studies about Education in Burma is that "If the Burmese people are educated, they would question " Therefore, purposely the military government damaged the Burmese education.The Burmese education is somehow in-valued by the society and the real life though it was a successful teaching within the region in the Burmese history.

              Most importantly, the primary school years for the Burmese children are five years in total. The first year of  primary school is called "Thu Ngae Tan". It literally means zero standard which usually focused on starting to establish school as a joyful  place in the first year of schooling for any children. In this zero standard, the children are not seriously taught just experiencing of schooling but little of praying, playing with friends, regular daily stuffs like setting up regular time for eating, sleeping, just a bit of learning and so forth. Here, i also study from zero standard to four standards at our primary school according to the Burmese education system and the school where i went was one of the poorest school within the township. Basically, the subject which  i had to learn  from my primary school  are Myanmar, English, Mathematics, Basic sciences and Arts. The subjects are very much appropriated with the level of study. The Burmese children learn little by little in those areas.

        Additionally, there is a serious problem regarding with primary education in Burma that school children are competing to each other to get the attention of the teachers so that they can easily pass even the primary levels. This actually happens from much of recent years which  the teachers probably designed that they could have extra class at home, therefore they can earn more money beside the government salary. The root of the problem is that the teachers' salary are not well paid, because of the needy, they have to make more money for their own survivals.

           Sadly, the most damaging about the Burmese Education is that something is wrong. As many people in my age can not help understanding with our own education  system and searching the facts to improve,     i can not figure out what is it clearly as well. i just apparently understand that something is going wrong from the Burmese primary education as like any Burmese student from Burma. After all that effects are found all level of the Burmese students' education even though Education is still valued in our Burmese community. Since there is something wrong with primary education system, does not seem it grows for these ages rather it becomes worse that we know by just looking at the unemployment who are graduated but not getting the appropriated position in working places. I think, the primary education system in Burma should be growing  because of its long-time literary rate in Burma, the Burmese struggles and passion of Education. If the parents can provided financially, the school kids surely pass their primary standards. Sometimes though the parents can not support much, if the teachers concern about those students within particular school so that they can easily or inappropriately  pass their grade within the predicted years( Indeed, those of five year in total for the primary education of level zero to four). Sometimes we call it luck, because some of the students are strongly supported by their teachers even though their parents can not afford for all their educational expenses and other logistic help for further study. Also some of the students to whom i interviewed in the last year summer project are proved that the students are strongly supported by the Buddhist religious team and community helps and other various individual for their further education. The contribution for education in Burmese community is somewhat a high level within region.

            Finally, we have a Burmese saying that "In any case if the foundation is not strong enough that would be easy to collapse at any time". I strongly believe that "Foundation is vital".  The primary education in Burma is seriously need to observe to get its betterment. The school children should be getting a strong foundation by targeting  rebuilding of new life styles, a new society, a new nation to a new world. The focus of Introduction to the Burmese education is  that the Education for school children in Burma and the primary education in Burma should be one of the top priorities in our process of democratization   

Cooperating with some sources here

Also some additional understanding to add about the system in primary is here.