Burma - Education

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Burma’s military regime is responsible for the closure of Burma’s universities for most of the last decade in an attempt to prevent civil unrest. A whole generation’s education and opportunity has been lost. The literacy rate of Burma, according the UNESCO Institute of Statistics (2005) stands at 89.7% (males: 93.7%, females: 86.2%), although there is dispute over the accuracy of the provided literacy rates. The annual budget allocated to education by the government is low; only about 1.2% is spent per year on education.

• When Burma gained independence in 1948, the government sought to create a literate and educated population, and Burma was believed to be on its way to become the first Asian Tiger in the region.


• However, military dictatorship took hold in 1962 and Burma became an isolated and impoverished nation. All schools were nationalized and education standards began to fall. Through many changes in education systems during the socialist regime, Burmese government uses schools as propaganda machines.


• Due to students' protest of 8888 Uprising, all universities were closed around Burma for 2 years. Since the 1990s, new structure of education system was weak and the government set up a 6th month term for an academic year. The SPDC government arranged irregular commencement dates for universities and colleges, however, students were still in question and clash.


• Another series of students' strike in 1996 and 1998 resulted in another 3 years of closure. After the re-opening of universities and colleges in 1999, the government scattered universities in different regions. The relocation of certain universities were made under relative ministries, and to this day are vehicles for propaganda.