Hopes and Challenges: Online Education in Myanmar
For youth in Myanmar, online education presents both precious hope and extreme challenges. Four new Foundation-supported studies explore today’s realities and what needs to happen next.
In Myanmar, online education surged under the twin stresses of COVID-19 and the 2021 military coup. Now, as political unrest continues, this is the only option available to many secondary and post-secondary students. But on top of familiar challenges with online education, Myanmar youth also face limited internet access, frequent power outages, and dangers linked to state surveillance.
In this tough environment, can online learning still be effective in Myanmar? Are there practical solutions to the challenges students face here? And who needs to lead them?
Four groups of emerging Myanmar researchers set out to unpack these questions, and we’ve been honoured to support them. Now they’re sharing their results in four new studies published through IDRC’s Knowledge for Democracy Myanmar (K4DM) initiative.
Unlocked and Exposed examines digital security concerns that impact the quality of online classroom communication. How can education providers respond when surveillance and oppression are constant concerns?
Education Gap Online explores how regional, infrastructural and infrastructural disparities shape education access and quality for Myanmar students, reflecting on quantitative and qualitative data from 200+ study participants.
Access to Digital Education looks at how socio-economic barriers hinder learning access in rural and conflict-affected areas of Myanmar, especially among young people supporting resistance movements.
Chin State’s E-Learning Crossroads presents unique field-level insights on this local education landscape, unpacking challenges and presenting solutions—from providing Starlink connectivity and renewable power to implementing local training in digital safety.
As one study author put it, e-learning may be “the last hope for young people in Myanmar.” Together, these studies paint a picture of an online education sector that must continue to adapt to keep that hope alive.
Groundbreaking research series
These latest papers are among 24 Foundation-supported research studies that are being produced for Knowledge for Democracy Myanmar (K4DM) in 2024-25. We shared the first three studies in May. Every study in this series is being led by young and emerging Myanmar researchers. As part of their engagement with the Foundation, they undergo digital safety assessments and support to prepare them for their digital and field research in Myanmar..
K4DM was launched in 2017 by the International Development Research Centre and Global Affairs Canada. It fosters a new generation of young actors to promote democratic development and prosperity for all in Myanmar. The Foundation’s SEA Changemakers team has promoted digital resilience among youth in Southeast Asia since 2014.
