Making education policy a force for peace in Myanmar

• In Event: Peace and Human Rights Education and Activism: International and Indigenous Intersections

Proposal

This​ ​white​ ​paper​ ​looks​ ​at​ ​the​ ​relationship​ ​between​ ​the​ ​formal​ ​education​ ​sector​ ​and peace​ ​and​ ​conflict​ ​dynamics​ ​in​ ​Myanmar.​ ​It​ ​discusses​ ​critical​ ​dynamics​ ​in​ ​the Myanmar​ ​national​ ​education​ ​system​ ​that​ ​are forces against​ ​peace,​ ​and​ ​offers​ ​a​ ​vision​ ​and​ ​strategic​ ​recommendations​ ​to​ ​make​ ​the education​ ​system​ ​more​ ​peace-promoting​ ​and​ ​conflict​ ​sensitive.​ ​The​ ​analysis​ ​and recommendations​ ​are​ ​informed​ ​by​ participatory research strategies, including ​conversations and interviews with key​ ​informant​s and​ ​a​ ​series​ ​of​ ​grassroots policymaking​ ​workshops​ ​conducted​ ​with​ ​civil​ ​society​ ​organizations​ ​and​ ​education providers​ ​in​ ​Yangon,​ ​Shan​ ​State,​ ​and​ ​on​ ​the​ ​Myanmar-Thailand​ ​between​ ​​November 2016​ ​and​ ​May​ ​2017.

This paper suggest that as​ ​Myanmar undergoes​ ​rapid,​ ​complex​ ​political​ ​and​ ​economic​ ​reforms​ ​and​ ​undertakes​ ​a​ ​peace process,​ ​education​ ​has​ ​a​ ​critical​ ​role​ ​to​ ​play​ ​in​ ​shaping​ ​the​ ​future​ ​of​ ​the​ ​nation.​ ​It presents an analysis of the ​education​ ​sector’s​ ​potential​ ​to catalyze​ ​or​ ​hinder​ ​progress​ ​towards​ ​sustainable​ ​peace. ​​A culture of peace ​can​ ​be supported​ ​through​ ​culturally​ ​and​ ​linguistically​ ​inclusive​ ​curriculum,​ ​through​ ​integrating peace​ ​and​ ​nonviolence​ ​education​ ​into​ ​learning​ ​content,​ ​teaching​ ​methods,​ ​and​ ​school culture,​ ​as​ ​well​ ​as​ ​through​ ​administrative​ ​structures​ ​that​ ​are​ ​conflict​ ​sensitive, inclusive,​ ​and​ ​protect​ ​the​ ​rights​ ​of​ ​all​ ​learners.​ ​However,​ ​when​ ​lacking​ ​conflict sensitivity​ ​and​ ​proactive​ ​peace​ ​education​ ​strategies,​ ​education​ ​can​ ​​fuel​ ​and exacerbate​ ​violence (Bush & Saltarelli, 2000).​ ​Curricular​ ​content​ ​and​ ​language​ ​that​ ​favor​ ​certain​ ​groups​ ​and perpetuate​ ​negative​ ​stereotypes,​ ​ineffective​ ​teaching​ ​methods,​ ​issues​ ​with​ ​teacher deployment​ ​and​ ​recruitment,​ ​and​ ​lack​ ​of​ ​local​ ​decision-making​ ​may​ ​contribute​ ​to inter-group​ ​grievances​ ​and​ ​aggravate​ ​conflict​ ​dynamics.​ ​Moreover,​ ​armed​ ​conflict​ ​and outbreaks​ ​of​ ​inter​ ​communal​ ​violence​ ​directly​ ​impact​ ​schools​ ​and​ ​obstruct​ ​educational opportunities​ ​for​ ​learners​ ​in​ ​vulnerable,​ ​conflict-affected​ ​areas.​ ​All​ ​of​ ​these​ ​dynamics need​ ​to​ ​be​ ​understood,​ ​and​ ​policies​ ​and​ ​strategies​ ​and​ ​policies​ ​need​ ​to​ ​be​ ​in​ ​place​ ​to reduce​ ​the​ ​forces​ ​against​ ​peace​ ​and​ ​strengthen​ ​forces​ ​for​ ​peace​ ​in​ ​the​ ​Myanmar education​ ​system.

This paper reviews recent studies of the relationship between education and conflict in Myanmar (e.g. Joliffe &​ ​Speers​ ​Mears, 2016; Higgins, Maber, Lopez Cardozo, Shah, 2016; Lenkova, 2015).​ ​​It couples this desk review with participatory research methods, including conversations, interviews, and collaborative workshop sessions with local educational leaders and key stakeholders, to offer recommendations for educational reforms that will support​ ​a​ ​culture​ ​of​ ​peace. It contextualizes these recommendations within the existing education reform process being undertaken by the Myanmar Ministry of Education (the first education reform process in over 30 years). The​ ​discussion​ ​and​ ​analysis​ ​revolve​ ​around​ ​three​ ​thematic​ ​issue areas​ ​that​ ​emerged​ ​through ​engagement​ ​with​ ​stakeholders:​ ​1)​ ​curriculum;​ ​2)​ ​teacher education;​ ​and​ ​3)​ ​partnerships​ ​between​ ​government​ ​and​ ​non-government​ ​education service​ ​providers.​ ​These​ ​thematic​ ​areas​ ​also​ ​reflect​ ​strategic​ ​priority​ ​issues​ ​in​ ​the recently​ ​published​ ​National​ ​Education​ ​Strategic​ ​Plan​ ​(NESP) of Myanmar.

In​ ​addition​ ​to​ ​analysis​ ​and​ ​recommendations​ ​for​ ​education​ ​policies,​ ​this​ ​paper provides​ ​a​ ​case​ ​study​ ​of​ ​a​ ​collaborative​ ​workshop​ ​process​ ​for​ ​grassroots​ ​consultation and​ ​policymaking​ ​that​ ​employs​ ​peace​ ​education​ ​pedagogy.​ ​The​ ​workshops​ ​were designed​ ​to​ ​“walk​ ​the​ ​talk”​ ​of​ ​peace​ ​education​ ​by​ ​using​ ​peace​ ​education​ ​techniques in an applied​ setting ​to​ develop insights for influencing education​ ​policy.​ ​This​ ​paper​ ​offers​ ​lessons​ ​learned​ ​from​ ​these​ ​workshops​ ​on the collaborative process, including the​ ​experience​ ​of insider-outsider dynamics​ ​where an “outsider” (a US-born mixed race American with ancestry from Myanmar) engaged​ “insider”​ ​education​ ​providers (individuals from diverse groups of Myanmar)​ ​in​ ​dialogue​ ​and​ ​critical reflection​ ​on​ ​issues​ ​in​ ​the​ ​education​ ​system​ ​that​ ​affect​ ​them​ ​and​ ​the​ ​students​ ​in​ ​their schools.​ ​Therefore​ ​this​ ​project​ ​aims​ ​to​ ​provide​ ​insight​ ​from​ ​a​ ​practitioner​ ​lens​ ​to​ ​help inform​ ​future​ ​consultation​ ​and​ ​planning​ ​processes​ ​that bring together international and local educational leaders for inclusive, genuine collaboration.

Bush, K., & Saltarelli, D. (2000). The two faces of education in ethnic conflict: Towards a peacebuilding education for children. Florence: Innocenti Research Centre-UNICEF.

Higgins,​ ​S.,​ ​Maber,​ ​E.,​ ​Lopes​ ​Cardozo,​ ​M.T.A.,​ ​Shah,​ ​R.​ ​(2016).​ ​​The​ ​Role​ ​of​ ​Education​ ​in Peacebuilding,​ ​Country​ ​Report:​ ​Myanmar​.​ ​Research​ ​Consortium​ ​Education​ ​and​ ​Peacebuilding, University​ ​of​ ​Amsterdam.

Joliffe,​ ​Kim,​ ​and​ ​Speers​ ​Mears,​ ​Emily.​ ​(2016).​ ​​Strength​ ​in​ ​Diversity:​ ​Toward​ ​Universal Education​ ​in​ ​Myanmar’s​ ​Ethnic​ ​Areas.​ ​​The​ ​Asia​ ​Foundation.

Lenkova,​ ​Polina​. ​(2015).​ ​​Conflict​ ​Sensitivity​ ​in​ ​Education​ ​Provision​ ​in​ ​Karen​ ​State​.​ ​Thabyay Education​ ​Foundation.

Author

• Grace Michel, Education for Transformation