8/10/2019 Burma’s Student Protesters Follow in Predecessor’s Footsteps

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Burma’s student protesters follow inpredecessor’s footstepsUniversity students marched to protest against Burma’s National Education Law in Yangonearlier this month. Pic: AP.

By Mark Inkey Nov 28, 2014

Student protesters in Burma paid tribute to previous generations of student

activists during recent protests against the National Education Law presently going

through parliament.

Today’s student protesters acknowledged their predecessors when on the second day

of their protests Saturday !" November they scaled the fence at #angoon $niversityto pay their respects at the site of the #angoon $niversity Student $nion building.

%ne of the protest leaders &o 'hone (yat Noe director of the (on State Students)

$nionsaid* +#angoon $niversity was once a place where students from different ethnic

groups came to study. The Student $nion Building is also a place where all ethnic

leaders were formed so we came to pay respect.,

The fear of the power of student protests and organisations was so great that shortly

8/10/2019 Burma’s Student Protesters Follow in Predecessor’s Footsteps

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after -eneral Ne in sei/ed power in the !012 coup he ordered that the #angoon

$niversity Students $nion building be ra/ed to the ground.

The authorities still clearly fear student organisations as they have been forbidden

from rebuilding the student union building since it was destroyed.

 3fter visiting the site of the student union building the protesters went to pay their

respects to fallen student martyrs at Bo 3ung &yaw (emorial 4olumn and vowed tofight until their demands are met.

Bo 3ung &yaw was the first student leader to be killed in Burma. 5e was killed

on 6ecember 27 !089 by mounted police while protesting against British colonial

rule.

The timing of the protest also evoked memories of even earlier protests. The ne:t day

of the student protest ;November !1< was Burma National 6ay. This celebrates the

first student strike at #angoon $niversity in !027 when students protested the new

$niversity 3ct which changed the administration and curriculum at the university. 3t

the time it was seen as elitist and designed to e:clude the Burmese population.

Speaking on November !1 (a 'hyo 'hyo 3ung one of the student leaders said* +e

honour the veteran students who took part in the first student protest in !027. The

struggle for democratic education has not been completed.,

Nearly 0" years later Burmese students are still protesting against the imposition of an

un=ust Education law.

The present National Education Bill was drafted by the government’s Education

'romotion >mplementation 4ommittee and announced in (arch 27!?. 6espite being

 widely criticised the Bill was passed by 'arliament on @uly 87 and sent to 'resident

Thein Sein for ratification.

5e sent it back to the floor with a suggestion for 2" amendments. 'arliament thenapproved !0 of the president’s amendments and passed the Education Law in

September. >n the ne:t few months parliament will discuss a number of supplementary 

parts to the Education Law and outline further education reform details.

The bill seems to prioritise compliance over education with its e:hortations to +nurture

human resources who have good moral character and who are able to think correctly

and education that helps state development according to the needs of the age,.

The law has also been criticised for being a throwback to more authoritarian days

 because it centralises decisions about policy and curriculum to the National Education

4ommission ;NE4< a body mainly made up of government ministers.Student organisations worry that this will prevent local autonomy in enrollments

curriculum and the hiring of teachers.

The Bill also does not allow the formation of student unions.

Sithu (aung the founder of the 4onfederation of $niversity Student $nions told The

>rrawaddy * +e have found out that the formation of a National Education

4ommission will centrali/e and control educational freedom. e want universities that

can be managed freely A free from the control of ministries. The Education Law does

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not guarantee this.,

The students have been supported by many other groups in their criticisms of the Bill.

The (yanmar Teachers’ ederation ;(T< said it supports the students’ action and

 will =oin their protests if the Bill is not modified. >t has also called on the authorities to

stop their criminal investigations into unauthorised student protests against the Bill

 which have taken place across the country. 3rkar (oe Thu the (T secretary told The >rrawaddy  that the NE4 was =ust a

reincarnation of previous government bodies that centrally controlled and stifled

Burma’s education during military rule.

The Bill has also been re=ected by the National Network for Educational #eform

;NNE#< a network formed in 27!2 that includes members of teachers’ unions ethnic

education groups 99 -eneration 'eace and %pen Society members and monks.

%ver the past two years the group has been holding nationwide seminars about the Bill

and in @une 27!8 it organised a seminar which was attended by !277 people. >t then

sent its recommendations to the government.

 3mong other things it recommended that +the ministry rather should play the role of

facilitatorC the school management should be done by the respective school boards

 which constitute the school principal the teachers parents and respectable citi/ens.,

$nfortunately the Bill did not include many of the NNE#’s key recommendations.

The NNE# also criticised the bill for ignoring widespread calls from ethnic groups and

students to have the option of being instructed in their mother tongue in ethnic states.

%ver the past few months at various universities across the country students held

protests against the bill.

Then on November !2 and !8 the 3ll Burma ederation of Students $nions ;3BS$<

held a Nationwide Students’ Emergency 4onference to discuss the Bill in #angoon that was attended by about "77 students from across the country. 3t the meeting it was

decided to hold protests.

rom riday November !? until (onday November !D about 877 students held

protests marches and sitins across Fangon including the protests at the university on

November !".

Because no permission had been sought for the demonstrations they were technically

illegal but despite being closely monitored by intelligence and special branch officers

the students were not blocked from protesting.

The students announced that they would suspend their protests on November !D andgive the government 17 days to respond to their demands. >f they do not respond the

students have threatened to return in greater numbers.

(a 'hyo 'hyo 3ung said* +6uring these 17 days we will go to the rural areas and

persuade the public and students to =oin the boycott.

“>f the government doesn’t negotiate and respond to us we will hold a nationwide

protest.,

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