Nay Pyi Taw, 28 January

A ceremony to open an English Language training course for government officials was held at the office of Union Civil Service Board (UCSB), Nay Pyi Taw yesterday morning. The English Language Training course launched yesterday is the third of its kind run by Union Civil Service Board in cooperation with Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand.

In his opening speech, U Saw Valentine, member of Union Civil Service Board said that the English Language training course opened today is designed to promote the efficiency of government institutions. He said that UCSB has been implementing the program as part of efforts to fulfill Myanmar government’s commitment to strengthen the capability of civil service personnel, saying the program is one of the implementation areas of human resources development for government officials. He also mentioned the role of Myanmar’s partner country of New Zealand, describing the country as a strong supporter of capability development in Myanmar. After that, an official from New Zealand embassy in Myanmar spoke words of greeting.

The course consists of three modules-the first module from 27 Jan to 5 March, the second module from 4 may to 9 July, the third module from 21 September to 26 November, 2020, focusing on management and policy development. The course requires at least 90 percent attendance from the trainees to receive a certificate of completion which will be issued by Victoria University of New Zealand.

The trainees are divided into three groups, the first group for senior level officials, the second group for mid-level officials and the third group for staff officer level officials. A total of 168 officials from a wide range of government departments were selected by Victoria University for the training, according to data released by UCSB.

—Aung Zaw Lin