Sardar Umar Alam, Head of UNESCO, Yangon Office: Interview

How is the Capacity Development for Education for All (CapEFA) programme enhancing management skills in the Ministry of Education (MoE)?

SARDAR UMAR ALAM: In 2012, Myanmar took the overdue decision to reform the education sector, and thus to improve access to and quality of education. Through CapEFA and other education sector programmes, UNESCO strengthened national capacity in the priority areas of policy formulation, decentralised education planning, education costs, monitoring and evaluation, financial planning and management. We appreciate the government’s lead in the reform process and have supported the MoE by providing tools in order to strengthen the process, as per international standards. UNESCO’s focus has been to increase the MoE’s efficiency and effectiveness in delivery quality. We have noticed that the steps taken by the ministry have been equally rewarding, as they have restructured the ministry and realigned departments. This includes setting up the new Department for Teacher Education, and the current focus on setting up an Education Management Information System for Myanmar. This, in turn, will empower state and township level officers, who are at the forefront of managing education and education investments, to better prepare plans for school management. UNESCO will continue to support MoE in developing monitoring and evaluation mechanisms that would further strengthen their decision-making, accountability and transparency. (Courtesy of oxfordbusinessgroup.com)