The future of education in Myanmar
This seminar will be a hybrid event, both in-person and online via Zoom
Date: September 25, 2023 (Monday)
Duration: 1 hour
Time: 06:00 – 07:00 PM AEST Time (14:30-15:30 Myanmar/Yangon Time)
Room: Par-Alan Gilbert-G20, Alan Gilbert Building, University of Melbourne
Join Zoom Meeting: please click here
Meeting ID: 812 5569 1878
Passcode: 799517
The NUG Minister for Health and for Education, H.E. Prof Zaw Wai Soe, will be in Melbourne as part of a visit to Australia and we are honoured that he has agreed to address AMI’s monthly seminar on 25 September to offer NUG’s vision for Education in Myanmar’s future.
H.E. Prof Zaw Wai Soe is the Minister for Education and for Health in Myanmar’s National Unity Government. He is an orthopaedic surgeon but has a long and distinguished career in both health and education, and in responsibilities for the issues managed by the portfolios. He is singularly well-equipped, having been Rector of the University of Medicine 1 and then Chair of the Myanmar Rectors’ Committee until the military seized power on 1 February 2021. He was the main taskforce leader for reforming sixteen medical related universities in Myanmar. In 2020, he played a leading role in Yangon’s COVID-19 fight and became the vice chair of Yangon Region COVID-19 Contain, Control and Treating Coordination Committee. On 10 February 2021, in the aftermath of the 2021 Myanmar coup d’état, he was detained for two hours and questioned about his role in the movement.
A commentary will be delivered by Emeritus Prof Joe Lo Bianco Professor Emeritus in Language and Literacy Education at the University of Melbourne. He is an inaugural member and Secretary of the Australia Myanmar Institute; He has many years of experience in Myanmar. Working for UNICEF he designed and managed the UNICEF Language, Education and Social Cohesion Initiative in Malaysia, Myanmar and Thailand which resulted in several advances for ethnic rights in the countries and extended to the preparation of a Peace Building National Language Policy in Myanmar, including state level policies, the first Myanmar conference on multilingual policy, at the University of Mandalay in 2016 with 350 delegates and a national summit at Naypyidaw hosted by the First Lady, Minister for Education, and Minister for Ethnic Affairs. For UNESCO he conducted Asia-wide policy workshops for senior policy officers and ministers of education across the Asia Pacific. He has supported the NUG language education policy process as a member of its education advisory board.
Questions and Answers will follow the presentations.
***NOTE: Zoom can work very well, but it poses difficulties for people with a poor internet connection. So, people from Myanmar (or elsewhere) who might have a poor internet connection or low bandwidth should turn off the video mode and listen to the seminar. You may be able to switch on the video from time to time just to see who is speaking, but definitely don’t use the video mode if you wish to speak yourself. You can also pose questions using the chat function. The whole seminar will be uploaded later on the AMI website and Facebook page.