For the first time ever, British Council, Burma has held a Higher Education Policy Dialogue Event entitling “Empowering Higher Education” at Thingaha Hotel, Nay Pyi Taw on 29 and 30 June 2013. The event was our latest contribution to the dialogue on university reform, following the consultancy we commissioned for the Higher Education Law parliamentary Committee in February and the UK Study Tour in May 2013.

This one-and-a-half-day event was a huge success with full participation throughout from both Dr. Myo Myint, Deputy Union Minister for Education, and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the Chair of the Higher Education Law parliamentary Committee. The event also brought together Parliamentarians, Representatives from thirteen Ministries that has jurisdiction of public universities Sector in Burma, Rectors and Professors from Higher Education Institutions (including Defence Services Academy) with representatives from the National League for Democracy and a wide range of ethnic groups. It was marked by open dialogue on the role of government in the university sector, students associations, equity and diversity and the importance of data-driven analysis.

Led by the British Council, it was a great success with over 130 participants and also portrayed as a great example of a partnership approach with support from Asian Development Bank (ADB), Australian Aid and UNESCO. Six first class presentations were supported by panel discussions and questions from the floor. We now look forward to playing an even greater role in education reform, from a position of trust with both government and civil society.