ERIC Number: EJ1248405
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2019
Pages: N/A
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0024-1822
EISSN: N/A
Liberal Education for a Troubled Democracy: Cultivating Change Agents at Myanmar's Parami University
Anderson, Kyle David; Tun, Kyaw Moe
Liberal Education, v105 n3-4 Sum-Fall 2019
Myanmar has emerged from a military dictatorship and taken important steps toward greater democratization. The new ruling party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), and its de facto head, State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi, are proponents of educational reform, and are slowly refurbishing dilapidated campuses, supporting new education legislation and strategy, reviving student life, and encouraging collaborations with international institutions. At the same time, however, the tenure of the NLD and Suu Kyi has also been fraught with violations of human rights and civil liberties -- including the Rohingya refugee crisis and its attendant United Nations, International Criminal Court, and International Court of Justice investigations--and the imprisonment of journalists. It is precisely during this troubled period of transition from a military dictatorship to a functioning democracy, though, that author Kyaw Moe Tun believes the Parami University of Liberal Arts and Sciences can make its strongest contributions. In offering a liberal approach to higher education, the university promotes critical thinking and understanding of democracy and social justice, which are imperative to addressing global challenges and humanitarian crises, and supporting democratic governance, which includes helping to produce new laws and reforms. The university also seeks to foster creative, critical thinkers and problem solvers who will help their country meet the demands of its new markets. With Myanmar's economy now open to foreign investors and visitors, the nation's government offices, banks, and international corporations are seeking young leaders to manage new systems and create new products. Opportunities for change abound, but the country is facing a shortage of workers with the skills necessary to innovate and govern institutions toward positions of greater equity and profitability. The main focus of the article is to emphasize the need and profound effect liberal education can have on young men and women in a fledgling, struggling democracy.
Descriptors: Liberal Arts, Change Agents, Educational Change, Social Change, Democracy, Educational Legislation, Institutional Cooperation, Civil Rights, Courts, Authoritarianism, Universities, Critical Thinking, Social Justice, Creative Thinking, Problem Solving, Management Development, Role of Education, Higher Education, Foreign Countries
Association of American Colleges and Universities. 1818 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20009. Tel: 800-297-3775; Tel: 202-387-3760; Fax: 202-265-9532; e-mail: pub_desk@aacu.org; Web site: http://www.aacu.org/publications/index.cfm
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Burma
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A