Myanmar can learn from Thailand’s education-related mistakes

Some senior citizens aged over 50 appear to possess good command of English and knowledge of what is going on in the country and the world. 

Those under 30s who attended established universities have fair English skills, but it seems they lock themselves in a room when it comes to exploring new ideas and new practices. Well, that is not surprising as they were born and grown under strict military ruling. Many foreign companies have complained about the difficulties in finding the right persons for available jobs. Some command good English but have no knowledge in the real world. I can’t help feeling that this quote from Oxford Business Group’s report, summarises what is going on in the country. 

“Myanmar’s education system was once the best in the region, but now is far behind regional norms,” Deepak Neopane, founder of City College Yangon, told OBG. “Pupils lack analytical-thinking and problem-solving skills and are now struggling to capitalise on the country’s growth.”

Anybody can tell that the country needs a drastic measure to overhaul the education system, if it wants to sustain economic growth and development in other areas.

Though Myanmar has a fast-growing economy with a large workforce, the country’s acute skills shortage is the second-most-severe barrier to progress after corruption, according to a report by UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) office.

In its most recent report, OBG appeared quite optimistic, focusing on Myanmar’s plan to introduce the National Education Sector Plan (NESP). The plan was highlighted as the new blueprint for its educational system, set to introduce modernised learning methods prioritising problem-solving and critical-thinking skills. As part of this process, a new 13-year education curriculum, which will add two years to the basic educational term, will be launched at the beginning of the 2017/18 academic year starting at the first-grade level. Along with reforming the overarching structure, the plan will see teachers trained in contemporary methods, with students taught to deploy critical analysis in their studies instead of the rote learning system currently in use.

Indeed, Myanmar policymakers realise that something must be done. In the past years, the education budget in the 2016-17 fiscal year accounted for 7 per cent of total government spending, up from 6.78 per cent in the previous year. The spending has increased from 0.7 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) in the 2011-12 fiscal year to 2.1 per cent in the 2013-14 fiscal year. Yet, that remains below the 3.6 per cent Asean average.

Money alone can’t change anything if the strategies are not right. That is what Myanmar can learn from Thailand.

Thailand’s education budget rose from 19 per cent of total in 1999 to 22.6 per cent in 2011. The ratio in the 2016 fiscal year was at 20 per cent, that is huge given that total government expenditures grew every year. 

Yet, the results were unsatisfactory. 

In 2012, there were five Asean countries participated in PISA 2012 - Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. The Programme for International Student Assessment, which is part of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in Paris, was conducted every three years to assess 15-year-old students in Reading, Mathematics and Science.

Among 65 participating countries, Singapore got 2nd in Maths and 3rd in Reading and Science

Vietnam got 8th in Science, 17th in Maths and 19th in Reading

Thailand got 50th in Maths but 48th in Reading & Science

Malaysia got 52 in Maths, 59th in Reading & 53rd in Science

Indonesia got 64th in Maths and Science and 61st in Reading.

In 2009, Thailand got 50th for both Reading and Maths, and 49th in Science. In contrast, Singapore’s places in the year was 5th in Reading, 2nd in Maths and 4th in Science. 

It explains a lot why Singapore remained the world’s second most competitive economy among 140 countries in the latest Global Competitiveness Report, compiled by the World Economic Forum (WEF). Thailand’s ranking was the 32nd.

Many pointed a finger to failures of policymakers in seeing what kind of labour the country truly needs and adjusting education strategies accordingly. In the past three decades, textbooks have been changed very often and new initiatives were introduced, including having foreign teachers in classrooms. Yet, when these kids finish university levels, few of them have good command of English and many of them graduate without knowledge in mathematics and science. Many end up getting a job they were not trained for.

Years ago, we could blame the inequality in access to education. Only city schools had proper labs and equipment and universities were somewhat closed for poor kids without student loans. When the student loan scheme was launched, a new university entrance exam was imposed along with the policy to grant universities autonomy. The result is only kids with affordability could travel around the country to attend individual universities’ entrance exams. Those without money could afford only the national admission scheme. 

Yes, the situation is more grave in Myanmar. It is estimated that over one million children in Myanmar are still out of school, less than 70 per cent of primary school age children complete a full course of primary education at the correct age, and out of every 100 children entering primary school, only about 20 go on to finish lower secondary school. 

Latest data also showed that despite higher government spending on education, the results may not be satisfactory. 

The Education Ministry’s latest data showed that the matriculation exam pass rate for the last academic year was the lowest in eight years. Almost 190,400 out of 636,237 children passed or 29.9 per cent. Notably, these 30 per cent would see rosy path to universities. 

The exam pass rate in 2009 was 30.4 per cent; 34.9 per cent in 2010; 35.1 per cent in 2011; 34.4 per cent in 2012; 34.9 per cent in 2013, 31.7 per cent in 2014 and 37.6 per cent in 2015. 

Before Myanmar fell under the military ruling decades ago, the country was a centre of many things in Southeast Asia, including education. Yet, years of neglect have left the country’s education system in a dismal condition and without quick remedies, the condition could worsen and leave the country unable to capitalise on its potential or catch up with its neighbours.