GCE Welcomes The National Network For Education Reform (NNER) As A New Member

NNER has been promoting the SDG-4/ Education Agenda 2030 throughout the country as well as adopting it in NNER education policy papers and advocacy activities. NNER is pleased to become a member of the Global Campaign for Education (GCE) and to join the global movement to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education; promote lifelong learning and advocate right to education.
By Ms Hawng Tsai, National Coordinator, NNER

The Global Campaign for Education is pleased to announce a new member, the National Network for Education Reform (NNER) in Myanmar.

The NNER is a civil society education coalition in Myanmar. It was initiated by thirteen grassroots educational organisations in October 2012, as an education reform movement. NNER is the only existing, national-level civil society group advocating for democratic education reform and the right to education in Myanmar. NNER develops policy positions through public consultations, which are then used to lobby the government for change. NNER also conducts campaigns to promote the right to education based on the following objectives:

• Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE);
• Contextualised Curriculum/ Local Curriculum;
• Education for Social Justice and Peace;
• Academic Freedom and Decentralized Education;
• Self-determination in Education;
• Freedom of Association, Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Assembly (including for student unions, teachers’ unions, etc.);
• Equity-based Financing in Education (that the education budget should be 15-20% of the national budget or 5-6 % of GDP);
• Universal access to quality early childhood education, basic education, higher education, non-formal education, adult education, and lifelong learning.

In addition, NNER responds to violations of the right to education, by conducting emergency advocacy and campaigns that utilize media, lobbying and negotiation to government authorities and international advocacy.

To develop policy in a participatory way, NNER has conducted 28 public consultation meetings in every State and Division of the country since 2012. These have involved the participation of NNER members who represent university students, student unions, teachers’ unions, basic and higher education teachers, parents, disability education groups, ethnic minority education groups, faith-based education groups, community-based education groups, academia, scholars, CSOs, and individuals.

NNER has been a member of Asia South Pacific Association for Basic and Adult Education (ASPBAE) since August 2013. NNER was able to connect with regional and global civil society education movements with the support of ASPBAE, such as The World Education Forum in Incheon, South Korea in May 2015, as well as regional education conferences, workshops, and meetings. We are grateful to ASPBAE for these opportunities, which have strengthened our alliances and given us new avenues to push for positive change in Myanmar.

The NNER also took an active part in the Global Action Week for Education campaign, during which they held public campaign talks in Nyaung Shwe and Naung Kham, Shan State, to raise public awareness.