THE number of teachers and lecturers in Myanmar had increased from 180,000 to 255,000 since the government launched a long-term program in 1998 to upgrade the educational system, the Prime Minister, General Khin Nyunt, said last week.

During the same period the government had established 23 universities and colleges devoted to training teachers and they produced 50,000 graduates a year, compared with 6300 graduates in 1998-1999, General Khin Nyunt said.

He was speaking at a ceremony held at Yangon University’s Diamond Jubilee Hall on October 5 to mark World Teachers’ Day, the third time the occasion has been celebrated in Myanmar.

The ceremony was attended by government ministers, diplomats, representatives of United Nations agencies and non-government organisations, academics and more than 800 teachers.

General Khin Nyunt, who is also chairman of the National Education Committee, said the government had established 135 tertiary education institutions and more than 40,500 primary and secondary schools in the past six years, of which nearly 90 per cent were in rural areas.

More than 8.38 million students attended the nation’s schools and tertiary education institutions, he said.

General Khin Nyunt praised all teachers, including those in border areas, for their devotion to their profession.

The role of teachers was also praised in a joint message from four UN agencies read on their behalf by the Rector of the University of Education, Dr Khin Zaw.

The agencies, the UN Children’s Fund, the UN Development Program, the UN Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation and the International Labour Organisation, expressed appreciation for the work performed by teachers.

“We highly appreciate you having chosen this profession, one so fundamental to society and the fact that you continue in it despite – and often because of – the challenges you face,” the message said.

In a statement released to mark the day, the resident representative of UNICEF, Ms Carroll Long, hailed the invaluable contribution that Myanmar’s teachers make in the lives of the nation’s children.

“Education is a fundamental part of children’s development and the key to their future prospects in life,” said Ms Long in the statement. “Teachers are at the heart of this process.”

Ms Long said funding from the Japanese and Swiss national committees for UNICEF had enabled the agency in Myanmar to support the nation’s teachers by providing them with training and material assistance and by fostering community support for their work.

The ceremony included the presentation of awards to four retired lecturers for their contributions to education, which included translating science curriculums from English to Myanmar and contributing to literacy programs.

Awards were also presented to six teachers for activities beyond the call of duty.

They included Daw Than Than Mya, 37, from the No. 17 Basic Education Primary School in Mandalay, who saved a girl student from human traffickers, and Daw Sein Htay, 47, from the Basic Education High School at Kawa in Bago Division, who saved two girls from drowning.