STUDENTS’ ACCESSIBILITY AND EQUITY IN EDUCATION COLLEGES IN MYANMAR

In Burmese society, access and equity issues continue to manifest in education colleges (ECs) and even at work places, which curtails balanced education development and equal job opportunities across states. This paper provides in-depth understanding of the access and equity issues as well as identifies gaps in management capacities in education colleages in Myanmar. Using trend analysis on nationally representative education statistics data complemented by primary information collected from 4 ECs, the study revealed that students’ access to ECs is much centrally determined by the Ministry of Education (MOE) and mostly depends on the matriculation examinations, number of applicants, and the available slots in the ECs. One tenth of students admitted to ECs come from economically disadvantaged families implying that inequities are evident albeit in an ever shifting landscape. There are no initiatives to cater for needy but potential students instead, some social welfare foundations contribute to support those who are poor. The findings suggest that ECs’ preparedness for better accessibility and equity is still weak and wanting. The difficulty is further compounded by a centralised system of managing institution affairs that places EC management in a weak position of influence as most decisions and policies are centrally determined.