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Myanmar’s Schools of Hope

ByWang Fengjuan

China-Myanmar Friendship School Network gives students in impoverished areas access to quality education

In China, the Hope Primary School project helps people in impoverished areas build or reconstruct primary schools by providing financial or other forms of support. Schools of this kind are also found in Myanmar, which are now together known as the China-Myanmar Friendship School Network.

Launched in 2016, the Network is a cooperation project between the Chinese Embassy in Myanmar and Myanmar’s government. By May 2017, 10 such schools had been inaugurated in seven states or regions in Myanmar, benefiting thousands of students and the long-term development of the nation’s education. Facilities like computers, desks and playground equipment are commonplace at many schools around the world, but for students in impoverished areas in Myanmar, they are of great significance as they give young students fresh access to a multitude of new opportunities.

Ten Schools of Friendship

On May 5, 2017, when a group of visitors walked into the No. 14 Middle School in downtown Nay Pyi Taw, what greeted them was a plain school building complete with tidy wooden desks and friendly teachers. This is the fifth China-Myanmar Friendship School, constructed with the aid of the Chinese Embassy in Myanmar.

It was summer vacation in Myanmar, and middle school teachers in Nay Pyi Taw were gathering on the campus for a training program relating to renewing textbooks. Daw Htay Yu, who began working here as a teacher in 2011, has witnessed the inaugurations of the school’s new school building and new stadium built by China.

“Our students are very fond of sports and our school won the Nay Pyi Taw Sepak Takraw championship,” Daw said. “After summer vacation, they can play basketball and badminton in the new stadium.” According to Daw Htay Yu, in addition to building the new school building and stadium, China has also provided graduates of the school opportunities to study in China or participate in exchange programs.

Education is the foundation of Myanmar's national development. With the purpose of helping excellent students from impoverished families finish their schooling, the Chinese Embassy in Myanmar also offers a China-Myanmar Friendship Scholarship.

Chinese Ambassador to Myanmar Hong Liang noted that Myanmar is now in a period of national transformation, and the country needs a large number of professionals in various fields. In order to support the development of education in Myanmar and help Myanmar cultivate talents for national construction, the Chinese Embassy in Myanmar initiated the China-Myanmar Friendship School project in cooperation with Myanmar’s government.

Hong said that the China-Myanmar Friendship Scholarship will support Myanmar students studying in China so they can make contributions to their motherland after graduation. Since education is the most farreaching livelihood project, China will continue to expand coverage of the Scholarship, providing stronger intellectual support for economic development of Myanmar and consolidating the mutually beneficial cooperation between the two sides.

Myanmar's Minister of Education Dr. Myo Thein Gyi expressed his appreciation to China for its assistance in the China-Myanmar Friendship School project, which is of vital importance to the development of Myanmar. He noted that currently, Myanmar is making great efforts to improve the quality of its education and upgrade the infrastructure and facilities of primary and secondary schools. He also said that Myanmar is very grateful for China’s help in education, and Myanmar's Ministry of Education will strengthen cooperation with the Chinese Embassy in Myanmar to build more schools and benefit more students.

Left: On Nov. 14, 2014, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang visited the No. 14 Middle School in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar.

Below: The new school building built with China's help at the No. 14 Middle School in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar.

Improved Education Wins Popular Support

The No. 14 Middle School in Nay Pyi Taw has had frequent interactions with China. Daw Htay Yu passionately remembers Chinese Premier Li Keqiang’s visit to the school on Nov, 14, 2014, during his state visit to Myanmar. The Premier encouraged the students to study hard and carry on China-Myanmar Pauk-Phaw friendship. The inauguration of the fifth China-Myanmar Friendship School brought its ties with China even closer.

In July 2015, a delegation of 12 teachers and students from the No. 14 Middle School took part in a summer camp in Beijing organized by the China-Myanmar Friendship Association. An 11thgrade student who attended the camp said that he found the Great Wall most unforgettable. He shouted “We are brave!” in Chinese after climbing onto the highest point on the wall. A seventh grader said that he would work harder to realize his dream of studying at Peking University. All the students were impressed by the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace, pandas at the Beijing Zoo and their experience learning Chinese.

During the summer camp, 12 delegation members attended Chinese lessons at the elementary level, and four students of Chinese origin who had studied Chinese before helped the Chinese teachers correct the pronunciation of other students.

Ambassador Hong Liang pointed out in an interview that the development of education wins strongest popular support, and people-to-people connectivity plays a unique role in the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative. Both grand projects, like the China-Myanmar oil and gas pipelines and Yangon-Thanlyin Bridge, and smallerscale projects, such as the China-Myanmar Friendship School Network and China-Myanmar friendship hospitals, have made great contributions to Myanmar. China is committed to assisting in projects in the public interest in Myanmar, regardless of their scale.