In light of this, to improve the quality of the workforce, an optimal response for Myanmar is to choose a more focused approach to technical and vocational education. Although the Ministry of Education is the focal point for the TVET system, 13 other ministries also run their own TVET programmes. For example, the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism is responsible for vocational training in the hotel and tourism areas, and the Ministry of Agriculture provides formal and non-formal training for the agricultural sector.
In terms of policy matters, responsibility is divided between the Ministry of Education (MOE), which is responsible for formal TVET, and the Ministry of Labour, Immigration and Population (MOLIP), which is responsible for non-formal skills development (MOE , 2014). In addition to the NSSA, the Department of Labor, Immigration and Population (MOLIP) also plays a key role in reforming the Employment and Skills Development (ESD) Act, which was passed in 2013 and led to the creation of the National Skills Development Authority. According to UNESCO, which provides support and policy assistance to the government in developing TVET, the ESD law is aimed at 'non-formal' TVET training in the workplace and for the unemployed, while the Ministry of Education is responsible for more formal training. , including institutes and government technical high schools and colleges.
However, according to UNESCO (2016), Myanmar is making reasonable progress in moving TVET from the Ministry of Labor and Manpower Development to the Ministry of Industry and Education. As part of a group of senior government officials, the researcher successfully conducted interviews with relevant senior officials such as the Deputy Director-General and the directors of all three ministries that plan and implement TVET development in Myanmar: the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of Labour, Immigration and population.
Research Findings
And then document analysis was also conducted on selected government documents to understand the existing policy and system of the TVET in Myanmar. Likewise, as the researcher found it in the literature review section, and it is also most of the participants believe that TVET is essential and very important for a country like Myanmar. Some studies indicate that an average of two-thirds of the population in most of the developing countries generally work in jobs that require a skill level usually associated with vocational education and training.
As mentioned above, the opinions and perceptions of the participants are almost unanimous about the importance of TVET for a developing country like Myanmar. Most students indicated that the materials are unrelated to what they were studying. From the researcher's own research it can be concluded that most TVET schools do not have adequate facilities/equipment for some majors/subjects.
Although the Deputy Director General of the TVET Department mentioned that the TVET sector is the second largest budget spender after the Basic Education Department, almost all participants perceived that the government does not provide adequate funding or the necessary equipment and tools in practical application laboratories. TVET and is clearly one of the main obstacles to improving the social status of TVET. But in Myanmar, there is very little evidence of the involvement of business organizations and employer representatives in TVET planning.
One of the senior government officials responsible for drafting relevant vocational, education and training policies noted that the level of cooperation between industry and institutions in Myanmar is still low and that there are many opportunities for improvement. From the employer's perspective of accepting TVET students as work training, most of the employers have indicated that they are interested in supporting the TVET sector. One of the employers involved in construction and manufacturing business highlighted some obstacles to working with TVET schools in Myanmar.
MK, a director of Insein GTI, briefly describes the situation of the TVET schools under the Ministry of Education. In countries around the world, the curriculum is at the heart of the education and training system. Part of the reasons for irrelevant and outdated curricula could be the current practice of centralizing curricula creation.
Discussion and Recommendation
These technical schools and colleges need to expand their course offerings to meet the wider market. Walker (2006) suggested expanding the TVET curriculum by increasing the number of courses to match the participants' educational background and their job responsibilities. Even more challenges include poor public patronage, low youth enrollment in the TVET schools and their programs, suggesting that students and their families do not see the value of TVET and continue to pursue general academic education as usual.
Therefore, it is imperative that policy makers make TVET attractive to students and conduct some public education programs on the importance of TVET. Improving the attractiveness of TVET education is an important issue that needs to be addressed. Much research has been done to discuss how to increase the image and appeal of TVET in many developed countries and more recently in developing countries (Coles & Leney, 2009; Nägele & Bestvater, 2016; Ratnata, 2013).
In many cases, it is considered as a last resort for those who fail to enter higher education or leave formal education due to certain unforeseen reasons. This attractiveness is now one of the major concerns in improving TVET sectors in Myanmar like other developing countries. The findings of this study confirmed that Myanmar's TVET system is currently dominated by utility-driven TVET for both public and private providers.
It can be concluded that the system of consultation with entrepreneurs, business associations and chambers of commerce that would enable the system to be more demand-driven has not yet been established. At this stage, there is no evidence of the involvement of public or private enterprises in curriculum development. The consequence of this situation has been that VET in Myanmar is very supply-driven and training subjects are determined with little or no consultation on the needs of the labor market.
To ensure quality in TVET and a demand-driven TVET system, it is necessary to involve the private sector in each of the components of TVET.
Recommendations
Findings show that the Myanmar government's poor investment in human capital development and particularly its limited level of support for technical and vocational education and skills training (TVET) have contributed to the shortage of highly skilled technical manpower in Myanmar. The recommendations given here are based on the findings of a thorough analysis of the literature reviews and stakeholder interviews. The recommendations of this study are expected to enable the leaders and policy makers to formulate and implement appropriate policies towards TVET schools and programs in Myanmar.
To overcome this, there should be some kind of master plan at the national level to coordinate all the TVET efforts in Myanmar.”. The board members should be qualified people who could also use their time; In Myanmar, whenever a committee or board is formed, its members are usually selected from a group of existing people who are already involved in some kind of work and/or projects; therefore, the selected members cannot give much time and effort to implement the board's goals. MMMW, General Manager of Chatrium Hotel Royal Lake, suggested that “TVET school should be opened in rural areas, not only in big cities; as rural youth could not afford to come to Yangon to attend TVET training.
YYW, the Vice President of Myanmar Computer Federation (MCF) who is also a Chartered Accountant and has been actively involved in various types of human resource development activities in Myanmar has made a brilliant proposal to open many TVET schools with the lowest budget. The most cost effective and shortest time frame would be for the government to upgrade the existing monastic education centers into TVET schools. KMH, Managing Director of Polestar Travel and Tour, highlighted one of the key success factors for increasing student enrollment in TVET schools.
In addition, the TVET curriculum should be designed as a flexible, demand-driven course tailored to local needs. But in Myanmar, some TVET schools simply use the curriculum donated by foreign development partners without considering the needs of the industry in Myanmar.” TL, Vice President at the Federation of Myanmar Engineering Society, shared his opinion that although the strategy should be TVET strategy at the national level, the implementation plan should be localized to each regional area.
Since large project could not fit the local needs; targeted tailored small projects/programmes should be implemented in rural areas.
Limitation and Future Research
The government should also make available low-cost loans to local TVET graduates to enable those with entrepreneurial skills and talents to set up their own small businesses. This research was an exploratory case study, and while the findings may be relevant to other emerging economies, there are serious limitations to generalizing the findings to other contexts. Data for this research were collected from key informant interviews and archival records, so a more rigorous study using additional data collection such as surveys would be needed to strengthen the findings of this research.
Future Research
Technical and vocational education and training for the twenty-first century: UNESCO and ILO recommendation. Challenges Affecting Technical Curriculum Implementation in Public TVET Institutions in Kenya: A Case of Nandi and Uasin Gishu Counties. International handbook of education for the changing world of work: bridging academic and vocational learning.
Perspectives on current trends and issues in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in Africa. Integrating entrepreneurial knowledge into the curricula of higher vocational schools: a case study of the competences of TVET instructors.
