INVESTMENT in education will yield long-term sustainable benefits and also serve as a fundamental pillar of national development. Therefore, in order to achieve long-term national development and build a high-quality education system, it is necessary to ensure that basic education schools have a sufficient number of qualified teachers.
For the supply of teachers, senior assistant teachers are being trained and produced by Yangon University of Education, Sagaing University of Education, and the University for the Development of the National Races. In addition, 25 Education Degree Colleges are producing junior and primary assistant teachers.
From the 2018-2019 Academic Year to the 2026-2027 Academic Year, there are a total of 47,853 schools, comprising 6,480 high schools, 15,732 middle schools, and 25,641 primary schools, with a total teaching staff of 307,914 teachers. Since teachers are required to teach students in accordance with the current internationally aligned, standardized basic education curriculum, it is necessary for them to be qualified, certified teachers with a sound understanding of the teaching profession.
The number of teachers is insufficient, as they are required to manage and teach a large number of students. Hence, they are unable to give adequate attention to each individual student, which may lead to a decline in the quality of teaching and assessment due to the heavy workload, as well as the additional burden of school administrative duties.
As a result, teachers may suffer both mental and physical fatigue.
The current new curriculum and teaching methodology include individual, group, and class-level discussion activities, processes for reviewing and deriving conclusions from discussions, and continuous assessment of each student’s learning achievements during the learning process. Therefore, teaching and learning will only be effective and successful if teachers can take full responsibility for their assigned classes on a full-time basis.
In addressing the shortage of teachers in basic education schools, the State should ensure that allowances provided to teachers serving in difficult and remote areas are based on actual living costs, so that they can effectively support their daily lives. It is also necessary to further strengthen arrangements for the safety and living conditions of teachers.
To address the shortage of teachers, enabling the teachers who value the teaching profession to attend teacher education programs, and ensuring the timely supply of qualified teachers is a long-term task that cannot be undertaken by the State and the Ministry of Education alone. It requires the cooperation and participation of all parents and the public.
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