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NEWS AND VIEWS FROM MYANAMR Vol-1



Subject: NEWS AND VIEWS FROM MYANAMR  Vol-1   No-36   

          NEWS AND VIEWS FROM MYANAMR  
               Vol-1   No-36   


INTERNAL DEVELOPMENTS

'Youth', the future work-force of Nation in attention

    The Youth of today are the strength of future - a high level of human  resources will contribute towards development of political, economic and  social conditions of the nation and perpetuation of the Union. The Union  Solidarity and Development Association (USDA) was constituted with the aim to  defend and build the nation inconformily with the fundamental principles  based on National causes. More than 11.8 million youth have joined the  association. The courses to enable them to carry out national duties when the  time comes were also conducted. Over 5.5 million youth attended the cultural  courses, more than 90,000 attended language classes and 23,000 attended  computer application courses so far.

    Moreover, the association, in cooperation with the Ministry of Defence,  has trained 3,033 youth at marine courses and 2645 youth at aviation courses  as new generation. The training courses have contributed towards development  of human resources of the State so that youth of today are both patriotic and  skillful in specific subjects.

    Annual General Meeting of USDA was convened in Yangon on 15 September.  Senior-General Than Shwe, Chairman of State Peace and Development Council  honored the meeting with an address, excerpts of which are as follows:

-   It is a historical tradition and practice of Myanmar people to have trust  in the self-reliance spirit and internal strength-the nation building tasks  carried out by the Government are solely self-reliant.

-   The Union of Myanmar is a nation with various nationalities. Since time  immemorable, these national races have lived together through thick and thin 
, which is the foundation of Union Spirit.

-   The government is striving with the added momentum for the progress of  economic, education, health and social conditions of the national people.  Hence, USDA youths should render assistance in these tasks with the Union  Spirit in building the united forces. All should have security and defence  awareness in view of the lessons the nation had learned in the past and the 
lessons of the world's present situation.

-   The USDA members should never lose sight of national goal which is  emergence of a peaceful, stable, modern and developed nation; should ward off  all destructive acts and dangers from within and outside the nation.






Literacy in Myanmar

    The Literacy rate of Myanmar was considered quite high since precolonial  times because of monastic education. The literacy rate went down to as low as  35 percent only when monastic education had been disrupted with the  colonization of Myanmar. 

    After the regaining of independence in 1948, the Mass education law was  promulgated and mass eradication of illiteracy programmes were introduced. In 1964, national literacy campaign was launched and due to its successful  movement, Myanmar was awarded Mohammed Reza Pahlavi Literacy Prize in 1971  and the Noma Prize in 1983 by UNESCO.
    
    After 1988, the new government continues to promote literacy in  accordance with its one of the social objectives, " Uplift of health ,fitness  and education standards of the entire nation". Like other countries, Myanmar  has its own Education  for All (EFA) 2000 Programme after the World  Conference on Education for All held in Thailand in 1990. The national EFA  Co-ordination Committee has laid down policy guidelines and various  committees down to the village level had been implementing these programmes.

    Myanmar held the 1999 International Literacy Day on September 8, 1999 at  Myanmar Educational Research Bureau with an address by the Chairman of  Myanmar Education Committee Secretary-1 of the State Peace and Development  Council Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt. In his address, Secretary-1 pointed out that  "Literacy is a tool for education" which enables us to create a modern and  developed nation. He also emphasized the requirements of continuing education  programme for those who had obtained basic literacy. He added continuing  education programme covered literacy promotion, income generation and better  life programmes through reading circles and community learning centres. He  also mentioned the cooperation of international organizations like  Asia/Pacific Cultural Centre for UNESCO (ACCU) and UNESCO (PROAP) in this  field. As a result of the cooperation between the Ministry of Education and  these organizations, Myanmar literacy Recourses Centre (MLRC) is going to  emerge in the very near future.

    After Secretary-1 had given an address, Resident Representative of UNDP  Mr. Patrice Coeur-Bizot made a speech. Then, General Secretary of Myanmar  UNESCO National Commission U Han Tin read the message of Mr. Frederico Meyor,  director-general of UNESCO. The ceremony was followed by a paper reading  session which presented papers on Literacy efforts of Sagaing Division,  Mandalay Division and Ayeyawady Division and papers on EFA the year 2000  Assessment and an Overview of Literacy in the Asia and the Pacific.

    With the concerted efforts of the government, people and international  organizations, it can be expected to wipe out illiteracy and achieve literacy  in the near future.

    Interested participants may contact Myatmikhin Wuntha Rekkhita  Association (Tel: 00951-220721).


National Commission for Environmental Affairs (NCEA) meets

    The National Commission for Environmental Affairs (NCEA) held it Tenth  Session at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 10 September. Minister for  Foreign Affairs U Win Aung in his address to the meeting said that this tenth  session of the Commission was specially convened to seek views and  recommendations from the commission members on the environmental legislation  that the NCEA has drafted in the interest of long-term sustainable  development.

    At the meeting, the draft environmental protection law and the  Environmental Impact Assessment Rules were discussed.

GENERAL NEWS

To looking forward to the cleaner, greener Yangon

    Yangon city is growing rapidly with 35 townships and its population  reached 5.95 million. According to the statistic research, the garbage  disposed by one person per day was 1.6 pounds - less than 1 kg.

    The highest amount of garbage is produced by market places, it is found -  one market places produces 5 - ton garbage on average daily.

    In the past, there were only two legal garbage dumps in Yangon city and  until 1988, the Yangon City Development Committee had 60 garbage collecting  trucks - now, there are 396 trucks in working schedule. The average amount of  garbage collected per day in Yangon is 3714.286 tons. With the increase of  city population, it is necessary to build garbage recycling centres. In that  way, not only the garbage would be disposed of, but also the by-product from  the process - the gas, for instance, could be useful for the community.

    It is learnt that the YCDC spent 544.299 million kyats in keeping the  city clean and pleasant in 1998-99 and the sanitation tax collected for the  same year was 222.54 million kyats. However, the responsibility to keep  Yangon clean and green laid on both YCDC and the city residents - for the  garbage should best be disposed of at designated places or when the garbage  collecting trucks came to collect them. Sometimes, penalty is needed to  discipline people not to waver from the duties of a good citizen. Therefore,  the people of Yangon should help make the task of YCDC easier by keeping  their household clean, their garbage systematically disposed of and above  all, being model citizens.

Workshop on total quality management in Health Care opens

    Workshop on total quality management in health care jointly sponsored by  the Ministry of Health and Bumrungrad Hospital in Thailand was opened on 11  September at Traders Hotel.

    Myanmar has adopted the goal of Health for All by the Year 2000", with  primary health care as the key approach since the Alma - ata declaration in  1978. The National Health Policy reaffirms the provision or equitable health  care, accessibility with universal coverage, multi-sectoral and community  involvement. The Hospital Care Programme has been formulated with the  objective of upgrading the quality of care in health institution and special  attention to be given to the availability and affordability of drug and  health care services for those living in the rural a and remote areas. The  Programme also emphasizes to increase the quality of health care provided by  upgrading the hospital equipment thereby facilitating treatment and operative  procedures.

    This three-day workshop will further strengthen the capability of not  only the Hospital Administrators but also the Public Health Administrators in  acquiring up to date managerial skills to provide quality health care  services to the people.

Ancient Jewellery   and Antiquities Exhibition

    The First-ever Ancient Jewellery and Antiquities Exhibition organized by  Archaeology Department was held at National Museum from 7 to 12 September.  The exhibition focussed on five periods of Myanmar history, namely Bronze Age  (BC 1000), Pyu Period (AD 1-10the century), Bagan Period (AD 11-13 century),  Innwa Period (AD 15-17 century) and Konbaung Period (AD 18-19 century).

Conference on Glazed Ceramics of SEA to be held

    The conference on glazed ceramics of South-East Asia and glazed ceramics  exhibition will be held at the Archaeology Museum in Bagan from 20 to 22  September. It aims for the international community to know the great  tradition of Myanmar glazed ceramics history and to accentuate the history of  glazed ceramics in South-East Asian region.


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