Overview of the General Education System

Myanmar is known for upholding cultural significance in education with its traditional monastic schools, which play a historic role in basic literacy and moral education. The country’s independence from British colonial rule revamped its education system to complement the formal education structure. This move also prompted Myanmar to urge its people to prioritize education with its further investment in expanding literacy, making it accessible across regions.

Myanmar's present educational system is structured into 5:4:2, with five years of primary education, four years of middle school, and two years of higher-level secondary education. In fact, the school year starts in September and ends in August. According to the World Bank data in 2019, Myanmar’s literacy among ages 15 and above is 89%.

On the other hand, Myanmar (Burmese) is the primary language of instruction as it is also the dominant official national language. English, however, is streamlined in the educational levels, for documents are issued in either English or Myanmar.

The Ministry of Education, along with its seven departments, is responsible for this field. It is primarily formed with the Department of Basic Education, the Department of Higher Education, and the Department of Technical, Agricultural, and Vocational Education (DTAVE), which oversees the technical training at higher schools.

Furthermore, the remaining departments are the Myanmar Examination Board, which administers all Government Examinations; the Myanmar Education Research Bureau, which handles research related to teaching; the Department of Myanmar Language Commission; and the Central Research Organization. These departments coordinate policies and programs across various educational stages, with the Myanmar Naing Ngan Education Committee providing inter-agency coordination since its formation in 1991. Community involvement in funding and management remains common, although public education is largely state-financed.

Compulsory education in Myanmar spans the ages of five to ten, comprising one year of kindergarten and four years of primary education. Reports in 2023 stated that Myanmar has 47,365 primary schools with approximately 12 million students enrolled.

The Basic Education Standard VIII Examination is the first significant assessment at the end of Grade 8. Lower secondary education consists of Grades 5 through 8 and is followed by two years of upper secondary education (Grades 9–10), during which students choose between vocational and academic streams.

Myanmar’s compulsory education ranges from ages five to ten, which includes one year of kindergarten and four years of primary education (Grades 1-4). At the same time, lower secondary school encompasses Grades 5 to 8, with the first significant assessment, known as the Basic Education Standard VIII Examination, conducted at the end of Grade 8. This is followed by two years of upper secondary education, Grades 9 to 10, wherein students choose between vocational and academic streams. Students who picked the vocational strand sit for the Basic Education Standard X Examination Diploma B, while those in the educational track complete Diploma A. These assessments serve as an avenue either towards direct employment or post-secondary education. This set-up enables Myanmar’s education system to have dual functions, an academic qualification and work preparation.

The Department of Higher Education spearheads Myanmar’s higher education and comprises 163 universities, technical colleges, teacher training institutes, and professional academies, all state-funded. Statistics for 2023 revealed that there are already about 8 million students enrolled in these higher education institutions. Admission into university institutions primarily requires the Basic Education Standard X Examination Diploma A and some institutions' entrance examinations. The first-level academic programs are a three-year Bachelor’s degree and a four-year honors Bachelor’s degree. Postgraduate programs, on the other hand, include two-year master's degrees with a thesis requirement, and a four-year doctoral program that culminates with a dissertation.

Meanwhile, the technical and vocational education is managed by the Government Technical Institutes (GTIs), which offer three-year diploma programs, and the Institute of Paramedical Studies, which offers two-year diplomas in radiography, pharmacy, and medical technology. The government also emphasizes human capital development through the GTI and the State Agricultural Institute (SAI), under the Department of Technical and Vocational Education. These institutions offer tertiary-level, secondary-level, and short-course options.