According to the World Bank, Myanmar will use the funding for a plan to promote inclusive access to quality education over four years. Some 70 percent of the project will prioritise improving schools and teacher training in conflict-affected areas and remote townships.

The loan will go the Ministry of Education while the World Bank will provide technical support for the project said World Bank’s Myanmar communications officer U Kyaw Soe Lynn.

According to the bank, many people across the country have difficulty accessing quality education, and the gap between regions is large. The World Bank found that one-third of school-aged children lack sufficient reading ability as well as the ability to solve the mathematical problems designed for their age.

The dropout rate before the age of 14 is also high, and there is a huge difference in the children’s educational results between the regions, while the educational results of the children living in poverty, in conflict areas, and of ethnic minority children remain very poor, according to the World Bank.

“A project will be carried out so that under-age child dropouts, children of migrant families, and children from families displaced by conflicts can receive quality education,” said Gevorg Sargsyan, World Bank Country Director for Myanmar.

The World Bank announced that it will issue an IDA loan of US$100, together with $70 million from the Global Partnership for Education, and $10 million from the European Commission.

While some rural areas used to receive assistance from UNICEF, the organisation later began working directly with government schools, leaving the rural areas underserved in terms of assistance, said U Min Aung Zay, a member of the Mon National School Committee.

“Assistance from the government is limited, so, it has been a burden for the community. If international community give assistances, that burden will be reduced,” he said. – Translated