Autonomy granted to universities next year

An official from the Higher Education Department of the Ministry of Education said: “The universities will get autonomy like universities around the world. The programme will start in December 2015. There will be a team to oversee the policy. All universities, not only those under the Ministry of Education, but also those under other ministries, will enjoy this empowerment.”

Aung Thu, rector of Yangon University, said: “Each university has to draw its terms and conditions. However, it was proposed during the four-party talk that the terms and conditions of all universities need to be uniform. Yangon University will finish its draft in April or May. When we drafted the National Education Law, we based it on the Constitution. Likewise, the laws of higher education and basic education are based on the National Education Law.”

The rector added that Yangon University has drafted its own terms and conditions. 

“We just have to include some more points based on the National Education Law. After we finish the draft, we will show it to public,” he said.

In its glorious days, Myanmar had been a key education centre in the region.

Once celebrated as one of Asia's leading universities, Yangon University was shuttered for much of the last two decades by the junta.

According to AFP, its colonial-era buildings languishing in fields of long grass. The university was reopened in late 2013 as part of government attempts to overhaul an education system that calcified under army rule. 

Some universities under the jurisdiction of various ministries are currently being transferred to the Ministry of Education for budget reasons. The ministries will assist the universities with projects and budgets instead of intervening with the management of the universities. There are a total of 169 universities and colleges in Myanmar under 13 different ministries.

“I really appreciate the right to be autonomous. There are many students who fought for that in successive eras. They should be honoured for their triumphs,” said Dr Soe Win Oo, chairperson of the Myanmar Private Teachers Federation.

 

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China probes Myanmar bombs over border

Reuters

Beijing

China's Defence Ministry saidon Thursday that it investigating whether more stray bombs had fallen in Chinese territory during fighting between Myanmar's government and rebels, after five people were killed earlier this month.

        Those deaths, in the south western Chinese province of Yunnan, infuriated Beijing, which promised a "decisive" response if there was a repetition.

        Pictures have since surfaced on Chinese websites which appear to show more bombs from Myanmar fell in Yunnan last week.

        "At present we are organising a verification process to look into this incident," Defence Ministry spokesman Geng Yansheng told a regular monthly news briefing.

        A joint Chinese and Myanmar has just finished a three-day probe into the bombing which killed five, he added, without giving details.

        On Wednesday evening, two grenades were fired into a Myanmar military base in Lashio, the largest city in Shan state, located some 130 km (81 miles) from the Kokang border region where the military is battling at least three ethnic rebel militant groups, said an officer with the Lashio police.

        "There are no reports of casualties," said the officer whoasked not to be named, as he was not authorised to speak tomedia.