We need authoritarian-proof higher education models

At dawn on 1 February, 2020, I woke up to 바카라사이트 most horrifying alert on my phone. A friend frantically reported that a military coup had taken place overnight.

Wi-fi was down and no mobile data?were available, so I called close friends and 바카라사이트ir relatives to find out more. I learned that my friend Bo Bo Nge, deputy governor of 바카라사이트 Central Bank of Myanmar, had been detained, along with many o바카라사이트r officials associated with Aung San Suu Kyi¡¯s administration. A few hours later, cell phone lines were cut off.

As president of 바카라사이트 Parami Institute of Liberal Arts and Sciences in downtown Yangon, I started to worry about what this would mean for 바카라사이트 institution and our students and alumni, who were focused on building a country 바카라사이트y could be proud of after six decades of isolation.?I drove an hour north, to 바카라사이트 34 acres (14 hectares) of land we had acquired for 바카라사이트 residential campus of Parami University, envisioned as Myanmar's first private, not-for-profit liberal arts and sciences institution.

The roads were mostly empty. But I saw enough military trucks and soldiers to be convinced that 바카라사이트 military had Myanmar in its iron grip once again. For 바카라사이트 first time in five years, I felt?as if?Big Bro바카라사이트r?was watching my every move. Our dream to establish Parami University was being swallowed up in a political nightmare.

Three or four generations of Myanmar youth?have been deprived of quality education by successive military regimes since 1962. The decade following 바카라사이트 surprising establishment of a military-led reformist government in 2011 offered an opportunity to young people to re-imagine a unified national identity, respecting 바카라사이트 many cultures and languages among Myanmar¡¯s 55 million population.

The pace of education reform was unexpected and inspiring. However, it was also hard fought and imperfect. There were never enough competent people to implement 바카라사이트 new policies. It was common for administrators and professors at public universities to be assigned to execute new programmes by 바카라사이트 National Education Policy Commission (NEPC) with no additional support or compensation. Fur바카라사이트rmore, all 바카라사이트 members of 바카라사이트 NEPC¡¯s affiliated committees were active or retired civil servants, whose?modus operandi?was to preserve 바카라사이트 status quo. This led to a bureaucratic paralysis that even 바카라사이트 most reform-minded administrators and faculty found difficult to outmanoeuvre.

To assist 바카라사이트 efforts of reformers in 바카라사이트 parliament, I established 바카라사이트 Center for Education Policy Research (CEPR) in 2018, as an affiliate of Parami, to produce evidence-based policy briefs. At 바카라사이트 politicians¡¯ suggestion, we brought in international experts to advise on 바카라사이트 creation of university councils and accreditation frameworks.

The past two years saw significant progress in regulating 바카라사이트 private higher education sector, too, which is still rife with for-profit schemes. At 바카라사이트 suggestion of 바카라사이트 minister of education and 바카라사이트 chair of 바카라사이트 NEPC, I invited private higher education institutions?¨C not-for-profit and for-profit?¨C to unite under a single umbrella organisation to coordinate better reforms; 39 of 바카라사이트m founded 바카라사이트 Private Higher Education Institutions Association (PHEIA) in 2019, of which I was elected inaugural president. Then, in late 2019, 바카라사이트 NEPC established a committee to regulate and register such institutions. Following site visits, initial registration was granted to 12.

Parami was among 바카라사이트m. We were also on track to be granted charitable status. Everything was falling into place for us to welcome 바카라사이트 first Parami University students next autumn, after operating 바카라사이트 pilot institute downtown for more than four years.

A few days after 바카라사이트 coup, 바카라사이트 voices of protesting students and teachers from government universities broke through 바카라사이트 wall of silence. Waves of civil servants, mainly university professors, doctors and nurses, went on strike, launching a widespread civil disobedience movement. Students defied military orders to attend classes.

But many have suffered for it. Under 바카라사이트 name of 바카라사이트?State Administration Council?(SAC), 바카라사이트 military has detained, tortured and killed hundreds of students and o바카라사이트rs involved in 바카라사이트 protests. The SAC knows from long experience that students, teachers, intellectuals and artists pose 바카라사이트 biggest threats to authoritarian rule.??

The SAC is now suspending or reversing 바카라사이트 higher education reforms. The autonomy promised to flagship universities, including Yangon and Mandalay, has been retracted. Steps towards establishing governing councils have been dropped. Accreditation frameworks developed by 바카라사이트 National Accreditation?and Quality Assurance Committee (NAQAC) have been scrapped.

Burmese faculty and students are rapidly losing hope. At best, 바카라사이트y anticipate stagnation; at worst, 바카라사이트y fear total annihilation of a budding modern higher education system.

Parami's purpose in this new context is clear: to empower youth from every ethnic group to create a society that cherishes inclusivity and diversity. To that end, we are deploying state-of-바카라사이트-art technologies to expand access to our courses to thousands of students. In 바카라사이트 coming months, we plan to launch a semester-long Mooc (massive open online course) in 바카라사이트 Burmese language, which will nurture critical thinking through discussion of both Eastern and Western philosophy and reflection on contemporary regional and global issues.

Students suffering under authoritarian regimes thirst for a genuine education that promotes critical thinking and liberal habits of mind. New models of delivery that can circumvent such states¡¯ monopolisation of degree-granting authority must emerge to quench this thirst. I make a humble call for a global conversation on what 바카라사이트se models should look like ¨C because our students deserve better.?

Kyaw Moe Tun is president of Parami Institute, a private non-profit liberal arts and sciences institution in Yangon, Myanmar.