Thanks to monastic education system in Konbaung era, some 80 per cent of population in Myanmar had acquared basic literacy and numeracy skills. At that time, neighbouring countries such as China, India and Southeast Asian countries had an average literacy rate of below 20 per cent. As such, the literacy rate of Myanmar was a source of pride.
During the colonial period, the prominence of the Myanmar language declined as English was set as office language, and the monastic education system weakened. Consequently, the Myanmar literacy rate declined. However, according to surveys conducted after World War II, Myanmar’s literacy rate still stood at 35 per cent, which was higher than that of surrounding Asian countries, as historical records testify.
In 1964, U Than Byin, an education officer on special duty known as the “Father of the 3-Rs Literacy Campaign”, sent four teachers namely U Than Shein, U Than Myint, U San Myint, and U Hla Ohn from the Yangon’s Kanbe Teacher Training Institute to teach the rural community of East Sanpya Village (now Nyaungkaing Village) in Meiktila Township, Mandalay Region, in collaboration with rural people. Such a plan was successful. Based on this experience, a community-driven approach was implemented without spending the government’s budget, where teaching was conducted directly in the villages. By 1971, literacy was achieved throughout Meiktila District.
With the formation of the Central Literacy Supervisory and Coordinating Committee of the Union of Myanmar, the literacy campaign was conducted in the entire nation over a 20-year period from 1948 to 1968, and more than 2.4 million people in Myanmar acquired basic reading, writing, and numeracy skills.
With regard to the literacy campaign, Minister for Education Dr Nyi Nyi who served as Chairman of the Central Committee from 1974 to 1985 remarked that the 3-Rs literacy campaign was conducted in the entire nation with the leadership of the government at different levels. Moreover, active participation of members from social organizations, artistes, media, students and residents helped implement the literacy campaign successfully.
He noted that the teaching component was systematically planned, and in preparing the reading materials, scholars like Sayagyi Min Thu Wun, experts in linguistics, literature, and literary mastery were consulted and coordinated. Collaboration with artistes and the media was systematically integrated to implement communication programmes. Furthermore, university students were organized to support the literacy campaign’s success and could make necessary adjustments and improvements as needed during implementation.
The minister reviewed that the success of the literacy campaign was attributed to the goodwill of the local villagers, as well as the compassion, dedication, and patriotism of the university students who provided the teaching. The mutual cooperation and support between the villagers and the students from universities, colleges and institutes were inseparable as key factors contributing to the overall success of the 3-Rs literacy campaign.
The 3-Rs literacy campaign in Myanmar, carried out through the collaboration of education staff, students, and rural communities, drew global admiration. UNESCO also recognized and awarded the initiative. In 1971, in honour of Myanmar’s success with the 3-Rs literacy campaign, UNESCO awarded the “Mohamed Reza Pahlavi” Prize, and in 1983, it was further honoured with the “Noma” Prize.
In 2014, the government resumed the literacy campaign regionally. The Department of Alternative Education and Life long Learning continuously implemented the continuous education programmes across different sectors, including teaching and learning as well as socioeconomic development education.
Over the past more than 70 years, over 70,000 volunteer students from universities, colleges and institutes participated in the education movement. They contributed their own time and resources with a sense of national pride to enrich the literacy of the people. Together with local basic education teachers and more than 500,000 students, these volunteers helped rural communities acquire reading, writing, and numeracy skills. Their efforts provided significant support for the country’s economic development, making Myanmar a prominent and respected nation in Asia during that period.
NyaungU Phee/TTA
#TheGlobalNewLightOfMyanmar