Accessibility to Education during the “Coup-Vid”: An Overview of Online Learning in Myanmar

  • Kato Yuka The Education University of Hong Kong
Keywords: Communication, Digital Media, Education, Learning, Teaching

Abstract

While the concept of online classes is not new to the rest of the world, this became a common mode of learning in Myanmar only when the COVID-19 challenges became a reality in 2020 as physical classrooms could no longer be used. When the coup d’etat was staged in 2021, education was further halted since many schools and their students did not have the resources to teach and learn online in addition to the political instability. However, online learning has been trending on social media for those who do have access to these resources. This paper will investigate the ways in which young people engage in education facing the “coup–vid†(coup + COVID-19), the motivation behind such engagement, and insights how they are benefiting from digital tools for learning.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Bertrand, J. (2022). Education, language, and conflict in Myanmar's ethnic minority states. Asian Poli¬tics & Policy, 14(1), 25-42.
Cardinal, L., & Sonntag, S. K. (Eds.). (2015). State traditions and language regimes. McGill- Queen's Press.
Chan, H. H. (2020, August 3). Hong Kong protests and coronavirus pandemic drive record stress levels for school leavers awaiting Diploma of Secon¬dary Education results. South China Morning Post. Retrieved May 4, 2022, from https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/3093458/hong-kong-protests-and-coronavirus-pandemic-drive-record?utm_source=copy_link &utm_medium=share_widget&utm_campaign=3093458
Chan, H. H. (2021, April 4). Hong Kong university expresses regret after lecturer refuses to bend online exam rules for student in Myanmar. South China Morning Post. Retrieved May 4, 2022 from https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/educa¬tion/article/3128290/hong-kong-university-ex¬presses-regret-after-lecturer
Harcourt, C. (2018). Myanmar students seeking higher education in the United States: Illuminating meaning in stories of lived experience. Prescott College.
Haffner, A. (2022, February 11). Myanmar’s internet gets pricier for dissenters, apolitical alike. Al-Jazeera. Retrieved from Myanmar’s internet gets pricier for dissenters, apolitical alike | Internet News | Al Jazeera
Hamamra, B., Alawi, N., & Daragmeh, A. K. (2021). Covid-19 and the decolonisation of education in Palestinian universities. Educational Philosophy and Theory, 53(14), 1477-1490.
Htut, K. P., Lall, M., & Howson, C. K. (2022). Caught between COVID-19, coup and conflict—What future for Myanmar higher education reforms? Education Sciences, 12(2), 67. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/educsci12020067
Januta, A., & Funakoshi, M. (2021). Myanmar’s internet suppression. Reuters Graphics. Retrieved from
https://graphics.reuters.com/MYANMAR-POLITICS/INTERNET-RESTRICTION/rlgpd¬breepo/
Jolliffe, K., & Mears, E. S. (2016). Strength in diver¬sity: Towards universal education in Myanmar’s ethnic areas. Yangon: The Asia Foundation.
Ko Ko, T., & May Oo, K. (2022). The impacts of Covid-19 on the worst forms of child labour in Myanmar. Institute of Development Studies. DOI: 10.19088/IDS.2022.024
Lwin, T. (2019). Global justice, national education and local realities in Myanmar: a civil society perspec¬tive. Asia Pacific Education Review, 20, 273–284. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12564-019-09595-z
Myanmar Business Today (2022, January). Power outage to continue in Myanmar: MOEE. Myan¬mar Business Today. Power outage to continue in Myanmar: MOEE | Myanmar Business Today (mmbiztoday.com)
Nikkei staff writers. (2021, May 24). As Myanmar school year nears, teachers and students say no to junta. Nikkei Asia. Retrieved May 5, 2022, from As Myanmar school year nears, teachers and students say no to junta - Nikkei Asia
O’Neil, L. (2021, March 19). York University professor slammed for mocking student in war-torn Myanmar. blogTO. Retrieved May 4, 2022, from https://www.blogto.com/city/2021/03/york-uni¬versity-professor-myanmar-student/
Oxford Business Group. (2020). Education & Health. In The report, Myanmar 2020. Retrieved from
https://oxfordbusinessgroup.com/myanmar-2020/education-health
Ratcliffe, R. (2021, April 2). Myanmar coup: Military expands internet shutdown. The Guardian. Retri¬eved April 29, 2022, from https://www.theguar¬dian.com/world/2021/apr/02/myanmar-coup-military-expands-internet-shutdown
Reuters. (2021, May 23). More than 125,000 Myanmar teachers suspended for opposing coup. Reuters. Retrieved May 5, 2022, from https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/more-than-125000-myanmar-teachers-suspended-opposing-coup-2021-05-23/
Saruya, R. (2022). Creating demand and creating knowledge communities: Myanmar/Burmese Bud¬¬dhist women, monk teachers, and the shaping of transnational teachings. Religions, 13(2), 98. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/rel13020098
UNDP (2021, April). COVID-19, coup d'etat and poverty: Compounding negative shocks and their impact on human development in Myanmar. UNDP in Asia and the Pacific. Retrieved May 4, 2022, from COVID-19, Coup d'Etat and Poverty: Compounding Negative Shocks and Their Impact on Human Development in Myanmar | UNDP in the Asia and the Pacific
UNICEF. (2016). Myanmar (MMR) - demographics, health & infant mortality. UNICEF DATA. Retrieved May 5, 2022, from https://data.unicef. org/country/mmr/
UNICEF. (2019). Data warehouse. UNICEF DATA. Retrieved May 5, 2022, from
https://data.unicef.org/resources/data_explorer/unicef_f/?ag=UNICEF&df=GLOBAL_DATAFLOW&ver=1.0&dq=MMR.ED_15-24_LR.&startPeriod=1970& endPeriod=2022
UNICEF. (2021). COVID-19 and School Closures: One year of education disruption. UNICEF DATA. Retrieved May 4, 2022, from https://data.unicef.org/resources/one-year-of-covid-19-and-school-closures/?msclkid=ff92419ec79b11ecae 1cb052beab81a7
Uwishema, O., Lawal, L., Sun, J., Hamiidah, N., Nasir, A., Robert, I., & Tovani-Palone, M. R. (2022). Colombia protests amidst the COVID-19 pandemic: Implications and recommendations. Medicine, Conflict and Survival, 1-6.
Published
2024-03-01
How to Cite
Yuka, K. (2024). Accessibility to Education during the “Coup-Vid”: An Overview of Online Learning in Myanmar. K@ta: A Biannual Publication on the Study of Languange and Literature, 26(00), 187-192. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.9744/kata.26.00.187-192