Ms Stevenson is at a 29 February press conference in Bangkok / Photo: Mizzima
Mizzima
U.S. Chargé d’Affaires in Yangon Ms Susan Stevenson says she hopes USAID’S Diversity and Inclusion Scholarship Program for Myanmar students will go some way to preventing another “lost generation” of Myanmar youth.
Speaking at a 29 February press conference in Bangkok, Ms Stevenson stressed the importance of diversity and inclusivity and the importance of the regional interaction opportunities presented by the program as Myanmar youth face a crisis.
“What struck me is the number of young people who should be in secondary school or universities who because of circumstances are now outside their formal education, uncertain about what their future might bring,” she told the press conference. “And so the idea of having a scholarship to be able to study because they don’t necessarily feel that they can study at their existing institutions in Yangon, or in Myanmar in general, is very important.”
The Diversity and Inclusion Scholarship Program through USAID is a five-year initiative that will provide scholarships for over 1,000 students from Myanmar to pursue higher education opportunities in south and southeast Asia. With a focus on Myanmar’s most marginalized and vulnerable people, this scholarship will foster academic excellence, strengthen the overall educational landscape of Myanmar, and empower the next generation of leaders to contribute meaningfully to their communities.
“We remember the difficulties at the universities in the 1990s (in Myanmar), where students could take up to a decade to finish their graduate degree,” Ms Stevenson said. “Myanmar is very much in danger in confronting another lost generation without support.”
She noted that there are private institutions in Myanmar and there are scholarships and other assistance from the international community, that complement the USAID initiative.
“The young people in Myanmar today are facing very complex challenges. Not only have they been wrestling with complex challenges and whether to continue their studies in the country, because they have seen a lot of the teachers, staff and professors walk out and leave their jobs and that means thousands of teachers and tens of thousands of students. What we want is to make sure they have those opportunities to continue higher education to the best of their abilities to maximize not only their own futures but the future of their country. And so this Diversity and Inclusion Scholarship Program is one way the United States is trying to help. The youth of Myanmar have not given up and so we don’t want to give up on them. So this is a tangible part of the United States commitment to supporting the people of Myanmar in their pursuit of other opportunities.”
The U.S. Chargé d’Affaires noted that the U.S. embassy had been in Yangon for 76 years and that the U.S. government remains committed to the betterment of the country through their engagement with the people.
She said that working directly with the students is a big source of pride. And this scholarship is only one of the ways they have been helping. This is in addition to the Lincoln Scholarship Program that is a very important initiative by USAID so students can study graduate programs in the United States.
“This diversity and inclusion program is going to focus on less advantaged youth in Myanmar and aims to give them opportunities to study in Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines and Cambodia and virtually with the University of Arizona in the United States. My presence speaks to the importance of the embassy in Yangon to this program,” Ms Stevenson added.
During the press conference it was noted that this was a $45 million program that includes $8 million in educational grants, and that the program was underway, with the first cohorts signed up for scholarships. The idea for the program is to study and at the end of the study the expectation is that the students would go back to Myanmar, so they don’t have any negotiations over job opportunities or any other educational opportunities,
Burmese students already in Thailand are eligible to apply for scholarships and are called on to check the program’s website for instructions.
Myanmar’s education matters for the country, and the program puts particular emphasis on certain fields like engineering and health.
There may be students who are unable to take part in the normal application process, whereas studying online gives them the opportunity to get an education through a different vehicle.
The program offers students the opportunity for regional integration – and it is open to all, including those with disabilities and sexual minorities.
The universities involved are making special efforts to accommodate students from Myanmar and give them a “great welcome”. It is a great way to make sure everybody is included and everybody has an opportunity to get an education.
