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Burma's lost generation
Burma's lost generation
Former Burmese students continue their protests, in Bangkok
By regional analyst Joe Havely:
For much of the past decade, Burma's universities and
high schools have been silent.
An entire generation has missed out on education, and
those who do have training are leaving the country.
These are Burma's lost generation.
Burma was once one of the most
economically promising countries in
Asia. But years of economic
mismanagement have made it one of
the poorest in the world.
The student 'threat'
Burma's military leaders have long been suspicious of
campus politics. After seizing power in 1962, the army
blew up the student's union building at Rangoon
University.
"The government has never understood the students"
says Kyi Kyi May, head of the BBC Burmese Service.
"Even the smallest protests were seen as a threat."
After the military crackdown in 1988, many students who
took part in the protests were forced to flee the country.
As universities were closed, those who had their
education cut short were forced to work as trishaw
drivers, road sweepers or even prostitutes.
Some were educated at
home or in the private
schools that sprang up for
those that could afford them.
But subjects like medicine,
law and accountancy are
difficult to teach outside
established universities.
Strict control
Today the man in charge of
Burma's education system is
Lt-General Khin Nyunt - the
head of military intelligence and the strongman of the
Burmese government.
The government fears that student gatherings may
rekindle the flames of political opposition and he has
strict control of what is taught.
"There's no freedom to chose courses," says Aye Min, a
former Burmese university lecturer. "Everything must be
submitted to the government-controlled senate for
approval."
It is a different story for the rulers'
children. They have access to
education abroad and are guaranteed
jobs in the many business interests
run by the generals.
Standards plummet
Although the government says it values education, under
military rule, 40% of Burma's national budget is devoted
to military spending - a mere 5% goes on education.
Wages have been so low that those with the skills to
teach are unwilling to work.
The poorly-trained teachers
that do work are made to
teach according to strict
guidelines and are
responsible for preventing
their students from engaging
in unauthorised political
activities.
Aye Min says teaching
quality has suffered: "When
the universities are open
there is a feeling that they
have to make up for lost
time. So they've cut the length of time it takes to get a
BA or BSc from four years to just four months."
The cumulative effect is that standards plummet: new
teachers are not trained, skills and knowledge do not get
passed down, and an educational rot sets in.
Brain drain
Added to this is the steady departure of Burma's trained
professionals - doctors, surgeons, engineers and
lawyers - frustrated at the lack of opportunity.
Many young professionals
protested alongside the
students in 1988. At the
time, it was difficult for
people to emigrate.
But since then, says Kyi Kyi
May, the government has
freed up the system: "The
government decided that if
they're not happy, they
should let them go. That
leaves fewer people to speak
out against them."
While the generals live in luxury, for those that remain
life is hard. Kyi Kyi May has spoken to many people in
Rangoon who say they often have to live without
electricity or running water.
"Deprived of these necessities people are more worried
about this than democracy" she says.
Without an educated society many
observers fear that an efficient civilian
government and civil service cannot
emerge.
John Jackson of the human rights
organisation Burma Action Group
says the junta's policy is to
"deliberately encourage a brain drain."
He says that by preventing the emergence of an
alternative, the generals believe they can hold on to
power.
Burma has the potential to be a rich country. It has oil,
gas and other mineral reserves, and the country used to
be one of the world's major rice exporters.
But in the grip of Burma's generals, exploitation of the
country's resources is channelled to the ruling elite, and
they are keen to keep it this way.
After all says Kyi Kyi May, "the military didn't take
power just to give it back again."