• Burmese
Saturday, May 24, 2025
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTER
The Irrawaddy
31 °c
Yangon
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
No Result
View All Result
The Irrawaddy
No Result
View All Result
Home News Burma

Govt Postpones Talks on Education Reform

Nobel Zaw by Nobel Zaw
February 3, 2015
in Uncategorized
Reading Time: 3 mins read
0 0
A A
Govt Postpones Talks on Education Reform

Student demonstrators rally in front of a university building in Magwe

3.3k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

RANGOON — Burma’s government postponed quadripartite talks on education reform that were due to recommence in Naypyidaw on Tuesday after questioning whether student participants truly represented their fellow protesters.

Upon an order from the president, the talks between the government, lawmakers, education advocates and student representatives were postponed until after Feb. 12, with the government claiming they will be busy preparing for a meeting with ethnic leaders in Naypyidaw on this date during which they hope to conclude a nationwide ceasefire agreement.

Student demonstrators reached an eight-point agreement during talks with educational and political stakeholders in Rangoon on Sunday, outlining pre-conditions for further discussion of education reforms. A formal agreement was signed by participants that the talks would continue in Naypyidaw on Feb. 3—a pledge now broken.

RelatedPosts

‘Children Torn in Two’: Witness Describes Myanmar Junta’s School Massacre

‘Children Torn in Two’: Witness Describes Myanmar Junta’s School Massacre

May 15, 2025
782
Quake Fails to Quell Russian Nuclear Romance; Naypyitaw Truth Concealed; and More

Quake Fails to Quell Russian Nuclear Romance; Naypyitaw Truth Concealed; and More

April 26, 2025
1.4k
Dams Promise Leaves Public in Dark; Dictator’s Global Illusions; and More

Dams Promise Leaves Public in Dark; Dictator’s Global Illusions; and More

January 11, 2025
2.4k

Banya Aung Moe, an Upper House lawmaker from Mon State, told The Irrawaddy that there was uncertainty about how many representatives would attend the four-party talks, and which groups they represented.

“The president’s order to postpone the talks came because there are many things that need to be done [in the coming] days,” he said.

According to Ye Paing Thu, a member of the Action Committee for Democratic Education (ACDE), the government called on all student protest groups to convene in Rangoon and prove that the 15-member committee participating in the talks is representative of the student protesters.

“The government questioned whether we really represented the protesting students and asked for a recommendation letter from the students,” Ye Paing Thu said.

Widespread student demonstrations against the National Education Law gained traction after the legislation was passed by parliament in September 2014. Critics of the law contend that it centralizes authority, restricts the formation of student and teacher unions and curbs curricular freedoms.

On Jan. 20, hundreds of students set out on a march from Mandalay to Rangoon to protest the law, with the government eventually acceding to their demands for dialogue.

At a press conference convened by students and the Network for National Education Reform (NNER) in Naypyidaw on Tuesday, Thein Lwin of the NNER defended his role in the group after the National League for Democracy—where he serves as a central executive committee member—warned on Monday that it may take legal action against him for violating party rules.

President’s Office Minister Aung Min reportedly quizzed the NNER representative over the issue on Tuesday.

“It is a problem between me and the party [the NLD],” Thein Lwin said. “I will stay in the NNER and I will continue [to work] together with the students. Negotiating to find answers is the best way for reforming education. But I am not satisfied that the meeting has been postponed.”

He added that the NNER was made up of different groups, including NGOs, political and advocacy organizations, and was simply trying to push for education reform.

Students due to attend the meeting on Tuesday said they arrived in Naypyidaw at 2am and were forced to sleep in their cars after the government reneged on an earlier promise that they could stay in the Municipal Hostel.

Before the postponement was announced, students had contested the government’s decision to only allow 15 student representatives to participate in the meeting.

President’s Office Director Zaw Htay wrote on his Facebook page that government and parliamentary representatives had waited from 9am until noon on Tuesday, but there was disagreement over the framework of the meeting.

“To make sure of the representatives is important,” he wrote. “[Even] if the government fulfills the demands of the students’ committee, the protests may continue and we are afraid the committee is not related to the protesting students.”

Min Thwe Thit, a member of ACDE, said “Today the government postponed the meeting without our agreement so we will continue the protests that had halted for the meeting and [now] increase our protests.”

There are at least six separate student protest groups that plan to converge on Rangoon, including the marchers that began in Mandalay and a group of university and high school students that are marching from Pathein in Irrawaddy Division.

Your Thoughts …
Tags: Education
Nobel Zaw

Nobel Zaw

Similar Picks:

Parents Pull Children From Schools in Yangon as Myanmar Junta Troops Move In
Burma

Parents Pull Children From Schools in Yangon as Myanmar Junta Troops Move In

by The Irrawaddy
November 24, 2023
16.4k

Regime’s decision to station troops at schools in Myanmar’s commercial capital and rumors of forced conscriptions puts city residents on...

Read moreDetails
Myanmar’s Youth Flee—and They Aren’t Looking Back
Commentary

Myanmar’s Youth Flee—and They Aren’t Looking Back

by Aung Zaw
February 23, 2024
8.3k

In Thailand and farther afield, they join the wealthy and the educated who have already put down roots and invested...

Read moreDetails
Flag Saluting, Anthem Singing Now Mandatory at International Schools in Myanmar
Burma

Flag Saluting, Anthem Singing Now Mandatory at International Schools in Myanmar

by Maung Kavi
February 23, 2024
3.6k

Junta boss tells nationalist group that the patriotic mandate is intended to counter subversion by young people, says race and...

Read moreDetails
Junta Watch: New Honors to Flatter Foreign Allies; Playing the Blame Game (Again); and More
Junta Watch

Junta Watch: New Honors to Flatter Foreign Allies; Playing the Blame Game (Again); and More

by The Irrawaddy
March 23, 2024
2.7k

Also this week, the regime orchestrated Rohingya protests, lost the builder of its capital, and praised Putin after not-so-free election. 

Read moreDetails
Conscript-Hungry Myanmar Junta Turns Sights on Students
Burma

Conscript-Hungry Myanmar Junta Turns Sights on Students

by The Irrawaddy
January 10, 2025
2.5k

Parents are alarmed as local administrations demand student lists from private schools and universities, with details such as whether youngsters...

Read moreDetails
Thai Ministry Shuts Down Six Schools for Burmese Students
Asia

Thai Ministry Shuts Down Six Schools for Burmese Students

by Bangkok Post
September 9, 2024
2.5k

The Education Ministry has ordered local authorities to investigate if there are more illegal Burmese-language learning centers after it found...

Read moreDetails
Load More
Next Post
a Bahan Bazaar

In the Shadow of Shwedagon, a Bahan Bazaar

Hardline Indian Hindus Become Modi’s Enemies From Within

Hardline Indian Hindus Become Modi’s Enemies From Within

No Result
View All Result

Recommended

China’s Two-Faced Diplomacy in Myanmar

China’s Two-Faced Diplomacy in Myanmar

5 days ago
2.4k
‘Indian Troops Killed Myanmar Resistance Fighters to Send a Message’

‘Indian Troops Killed Myanmar Resistance Fighters to Send a Message’

2 days ago
2.1k

Most Read

  • Dead or Alive: Min Aung Hlaing’s Final Gamble

    Dead or Alive: Min Aung Hlaing’s Final Gamble

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Adidas Shoe Factory Agrees to Striking Workers’ Demands

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • ‘Indian Troops Killed Myanmar Resistance Fighters to Send a Message’

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • AA’s Political Wing Imposes Rakhine Travel Ban

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • What Are the Possible Scenarios for the Junta’s Election Plan?

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Newsletter

Get The Irrawaddy’s latest news, analyses and opinion pieces on Myanmar in your inbox.

Subscribe here for daily updates.

Contents

  • News
  • Politics
  • War Against the Junta
  • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
  • Conflicts In Numbers
  • Junta Crony
  • Ethnic Issues
  • Asia
  • World
  • Business
  • Economy
  • Election 2020
  • Elections in History
  • Cartoons
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Commentary
  • Guest Column
  • Analysis
  • Letters
  • In Person
  • Interview
  • Profile
  • Dateline
  • Specials
  • Myanmar Diary
  • Women & Gender
  • Places in History
  • On This Day
  • From the Archive
  • Myanmar & COVID-19
  • Intelligence
  • Myanmar-China Watch
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Food
  • Fashion & Design
  • Videos
  • Photos
  • Photo Essay
  • Donation

About The Irrawaddy

Founded in 1993 by a group of Myanmar journalists living in exile in Thailand, The Irrawaddy is a leading source of reliable news, information, and analysis on Burma/Myanmar and the Southeast Asian region. From its inception, The Irrawaddy has been an independent news media group, unaffiliated with any political party, organization or government. We believe that media must be free and independent and we strive to preserve press freedom.

  • Copyright
  • Code of Ethics
  • Privacy Policy
  • Team
  • About Us
  • Careers
  • Contact
  • Burmese

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Business
    • Economy
    • Business Roundup
  • Books
  • Donation

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.