Myanmar upper house approves student unions
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NAY PYI TAW (AFP) - Proposals to allow Myanmar students to form unions for the first time in decades passed their first parliamentary hurdle Thursday in amendments to an education bill that has sparked protests which saw dozens of activists arrested.
The move comes a day after more than 60 campaigners, detained during a violent police crackdown on their protest in early March, appeared at a court in the central town of Letpadan facing charges that could see them jailed for nearly a decade.
Myanmar MPs are redrafting the controversial education bill in response to an outcry from students and activists, who have staged months of protests in the former military-run state.
Scenes of baton-wielding police violently quelling two recent rallies over education reform have raised international concern and fears that the government is resorting to junta-era tactics.
Thursday's vote in the upper house -- which will be followed by further votes in the lower and combined houses -- gave the nod to an amendment allowing "the right to freely found teachers' and students' unions in higher education".
But the revised bill looks set to fall short of other key demands from education activists, as conservative forces sought to dampen the amendments.
Myanmar's quasi-civilian government introduced much-praised reforms after a half-century of military rule ended in 2011. But some observers fear these are stalling as the country heads towards a landmark election later this year.
The upper house balked at including a reference to "free thinking" as a learning goal in the amended bill -- a key demand of education activists pushing for greater academic freedom.
In an account of the debates published in state media on Thursday, military MP Major Aung Ko Min spoke out against the term, saying this would lead to "wrong thinking" in children.
He instead suggested "all-round systematic thinking", according to the Global New Light of Myanmar.
"I believe about three quarters of the students' demands have been met through compromise," Myat Nyanna Soe, secretary of the upper house bill committee, told journalists at the parliament Thursday.
He added that he was "truly sorry" about the arrests of protesters in recent weeks and stressed that the government, not parliament, was behind the action.
More than 100 demonstrators were arrested after the March 10 Letpadan crackdown, with dozens of them still detained in central Tharrawaddy prison and allowed only fleeting contact with loved ones.
Students have long been at the forefront of political action in the nation's turbulent history, including during mass 1988 rallies which were brutally quashed by the military.
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Myanmar-parliament-protest-education AFP _261143 GMT MAR 15
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Reported by – Soe Min Htite
Translated by – Kywe Wa Dana Tun
Date: 25/03/2015
Page: 2 – 3
Photo caption: A military member of the House of Representatives discussing the draft education law
MPs applaud student activists
Some Members of Parliament are congratulating students and the public in participating in a revamp of the National Education Law - even as dozens remain in jail charged in relation to protests against the statute.
The comments came Wednesday during discussions on a draft education bill among representatives of the Tatmadaw (Myanmar Armed Forces), Union Solidarity and Development Party, National Democratic Force (NDF) and Aarankan National Party (ANP) and an independent MP.
"As the deficiency in a country’s educational system slows down the development of the nation, every country is striving to upgrade their citizens – the human resources," said Major Aung Kyaw Zar of Tatmadaw, who was among six individuals taking part in the talks.
"It is very uplifting to see that students and the public are actively interested in upgrading the education system of our nation."
More of the national budget should be spent on education, he said, adding that finding more funds might pose a problem.
NDF MP Phone Myint Aung noted that it was student groups, not politicians, that suggested changes be made to the National Education Law that was enacted September 30, 2014 and is now under review.
"When the government brought up this matter, it was done so without any changes to the original idea," Phone Myint Aung said. "Previously when the student unions acted, it was always to oppose the government.
"Now that we see their movement starting in 2014, their motives are different from their predecessors. Their cause in the past had been the downfall of the government, but now they are talking about getting involved in guiding the educational system and the budget."
He added that students have played a key role in modern Myanmar history, noting that "in our nation’s history, the student unions fought for independence earlier than the armed forces did."
However, the student union needs a proper structure, he said. The current education law does not provide for legal student unions. Part of the amendment student protesters and their supporters demand is that they be allowed to form unions and associations on university and college campuses.
"It would be illogical to have the bill approved before proper student unions (are in place)," Phone Myint Aung said. "As laws regarding student unions have to come first, I urge the Hluttaw (House of Representatives) to reject this draft."
On Wednesday and Thursday, students and some of their supporters appeared in Letpadan Township Court relating to charges stemming from a March 10 police crackdown on their protest over the education law. Only 11 received bail, while dozens more remain in Thayawaddy jail awaiting trial.
