Dr. Myo Thein Gyi, the Union Minister for Education, held a meeting with department heads and faculties of the Putao Government Technical Institute (GTI) and Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) high school in Putao, Kachin State, yesterday.

U Maung Maung Than, Principal of Putao’s GTI and TVET high school, first explained the organizational structure of the schools, the schools’ workforce, the teaching and learning processes, and the short-term trainings offered.

Next was a speech from the Union Minister. He said the Ministry of Education is implementing the National Education Strategic Plan (NESP) 2016-2021 to carry out educational reforms in the country. The technical and vocational education sector is driven by three strategies and TVET trainings will be made accessible to all, said the Union Minister.

He said trainings had to be expanded into courses that suit the needs of the relevant regions; those conducted on normal time periods and those aimed at imparting skills in a shorter timeframe. He said courses must teach skills that are suited to the needs of the region. The skills suited for the area include repairing and maintenance for automobiles, agricultural equipment, and for turbines that will be commonly used to generate electricity from the many creeks in the area. Other skills to include are masonry, construction skills, hospitality and tourism servicing, and teacher training, said the Union Minister.

He said teachers need to be experienced in the practical training of the subject they are teaching. The teachers need to be proficient first so that the students will become skilled, and they need better proficiency in English and ICT skills. Teachers need to constantly attend workshops or training to keep refining their skills, said the Union Minister. He pointed out that administrative staff also need to have high levels of competency.

Next, Deputy Director-General Dr. Nay Myo Tun of the Department of Technical, Vocational Education and Training replied to questions raised by the attendees. He said they will respond in accordance with the Union Minister’s guidelines. The Union Minister later toured around the workshop and classrooms of the school. — District IPRD (Translated by Zaw Htet Oo)