MIT Solve

Solution Overview

Solution Name:

Self-access Learning to Higher Education

One-line solution summary:

Strengthening learning mindset for primary and secondary students to access higher Education in Myanmar

Pitch your solution.

Myanmar is double effected through natural disasters and man-made disasters in the Covid-19 outbreak and military coup from March 2021 to until now. As a result, millions of students are out of school and they have to stop their Education. Thus, we would like to provide Educational assistants to the students through homeschooling by parents or teachers, promoting reading clubs and mobile libraries whether online sharing or face to face learning. Our solution will support equal learning experiences throughout linguistics: general English and Burmese (Official language in Myanmar) and Mathematical subjects in remote areas whether accessing internet connection or out of internet service in Myanmar.

As a consequence of learning experiences, the students are willing to continue their learning process and they could find opportunities to access higher Education with the equal level of global Education.

Film your elevator pitch.

What specific problem are you solving?

Due to the civil war, many refugees in Myanmar become more vulnerable during the transition to democracy. The people have to move to aboard cause of political instability, and Millions of ethnic people migrate to neighboring countries. According to the Refugee Studies Center from the University of Oxford, an estimated two million Burmese are trying to live in Thailand. The cause of people's movement is Armed conflict-induced displacement: it means that armed conflict directly affected human rights and food security and is linked to human rights abuses. It can be found through Karen state, in eastern Tanintharyi Division, southern Mon state, southern and eastern Karenni State, southern Shan State, and parts of Chin State and Sagaing Division.

In Myanmar, Education backwards during Covid-19 and military is impacting the education process and learning opportunities of youth all over the country. First of all, these cases disrupted the education process of millions of children[1]and compulsory education. For example, when MOH officially registered Covid-19 in Myanmar, schools and universities are closed fully or partially: increased dropping out of education[2] and social isolation among children, and National Education Strategic Plan was slowed in the Covid-19 and entirely stall by military coup[3]. Another distinctive impact is that the learning opportunities for youth in Myanmar especially higher education. For example, scholarship, exchanges, study tours and graduate program funded by international government projects were stopped, increasing the risk of leaning loss and education buden[4] on low income and middle-income families by set up the online leaning style but in these case, indigenous youth and marginalizes groups are more struggle and having difficulties in their learning not only unequal education funding but also shutting down the internet as an intensive confrontations between military and ethnic group for example in Rakhine and Chin state since 2019. By making Civil-disobedience movement by many universities, the challenges for student reached a peak and inclusive education for youths in Myanmar urgently need support and aids from international community to liberate these difficult situation.

[1] COVID-19 impacting education of ‘millions’ of children in Myanmar, January 28, 2021, retrieved from https://www.childfund.org.au/s...

[2] Chorogudi. Upendranadh| COVID- 19 Impact- Time for Myanmar to accelerate education reforms| January 31, 2021| Retrieved from http://www.mizzima.com/article...

[3]Charlotte. Galloway| How Myanmar’s coup will impact higher education| Febuary 22, 2021| Retrived from http://policyforum.net/how-mya...

[4] Chorogudi. Upendranadh| COVID- 19 Impact- Time for Myanmar to accelerate education reforms| January 31, 2021| Retrieved from http://www.mizzima.com/article...

What is your solution?

Education is the main discussion factor of developing countries that need to consider for global development. As a result of Covid-19 outbreak, Education backwardness and learning opportunity gaps have appeared among students and youth around the world. Similarly, in Myanmar, Education backwards during Covid-19 and military coup is impacting the Education process and learning opportunities of students all over the country. Therefore, Education and learning approaches differentiate from traditional style through online learning usages of digital technology.

There are two characteristics for our solution. For home-schooling, we are going to provide a computer or laptop, tablet, projector, audio player and other necessary materials as a hardware. Supporting TOT and digital training to parents and teachers, in addition to Educational curriculum in General English, Burmese Language and Mathematical subjects are given as software. For reading clubs and mobile libraries, we will offer computers and special printed materials such as stories, novels, motivational books, newspapers, magazines and so on as hardware. By providing training to downloading eBooks and websites screening for updated information to guardians and mentors, there will be more interactive learning between students and guardians/mentors. As a technology, Windows 10, Microsoft: power point, word, mobile application and internet service are used in our solution.

Galilee Training and Learning Center is located in Hpa-an, Karen State,
southeastern Myanmar, and was established by local youth with experience
in the field of development. GTLC provides young people in Karen State
with professional vocational soft skills; It is a community-based
training school that provides the necessary technical skills for local
development and regional rehabilitation in underdeveloped areas. GTLC
aims to find the gaps for youth access to education and development in
southeast Myanmar to provide practical solutions on implementation and
policy-building for regional development. It is designed to help future
generations become professionals in their interests through bridging
GTLC education services and their actual implementation in their
experience fields.

Who does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?

Myanmar has been involved in the civil war between Burmese Military and Ethnic Armed Group for over 60 decades. The target population whose solution serves ethnic youth and marginalized groups in South East Myanmar. Thus, indigenous youth and marginalized groups are more struggling and having difficulties than urban areas for their learning process. Insufficient Educational infrastructure, lack of teacher resources, poor transportation, exclusion from majority people are the main problems for ethnic youths in their Education.

One of the ways for improving the pre-primary and primary students’ Education, living under the fear of covid-19 and unstable political situations is home-schooling. By supporting volunteer teachers and parents with a well enough educational curriculum and materials including technological devices, dictionaries, books and so on , they can continue to access an equitable learning process. Moreover, that way will change unequal Myanmar’ Education in ethnic areas. Other platforms, we serve to remove education barriers of uneasy access to update information and knowledge by reading clubs and mobile libraries using online sharing.

These informative and innovative solutions will definitely escape the long-term education burden of all marginalized and ethnic students to freely access primary Education and will seed to implement an inclusive education.

Which dimension of the Challenge does your solution most closely address?

Increase the engagement of learners in remote, hybrid, and physical environments, including strategies and tools for parental support, peer interaction, and guided independent work.

Explain how the problem you are addressing, the solution you have designed, and the population you are serving align with the Challenge.

No.

In what city, town, or region is your solution team headquartered?

Hpa-An, Myanmar (Burma)

What is your solution’s stage of development?

Pilot: An organization deploying a tested product, service, or business model in at least one community.

Explain why you selected this stage of development for your solution.

To infinite our solution, we have contacted local curriculum developers for our project activities, and there is an organization which has strong technicians to promote our software application. We are corporate to implement our pilot session with local youth teachers. The target areas that we are planning to equip pilots with are rural areas in Kayin State, southeast Myanmar. Twenty-five households will be served in one community, and the population will be around 1,000 students indirectly affected.

Who is the Team Lead for your solution?

Saw Pyae Nyein Chan Aung ( Program Director )

More About Your Solution

If your solution has a website or an app, provide the links here:

https://www.facebook.com/Galilee-Training-and-Learning-Center-100256368661687/

Which of the following categories best describes your solution?

A new business model or process that relies on technology to be successful

What makes your solution innovative?

Changing the traditional teaching method and teaching from modern technology throughout self-access learning will be a more innovative solution.

Online sessions will be supported for teachers and guardians via Zoom application, viber or Whatsapp to operate efficiently without fear of Covid-19 outbreak and man-made disaster.

Offline applications for home-schooling are included in our solution for students with a low internet connection.

Focusing on Virtual learning and practical curriculum can give experience in their global learning.

Delivery of date information to weak access learning opportunities through mobile libraries is a key factor of innovation.

Please select the technologies currently used in your solution:

Internet of Things
Software and Mobile Applications

Select the key characteristics of your target population.

Women & Girls
Children & Adolescents
Rural
Peri-Urban
Poor
Low-Income
Middle-Income
Refugees & Internally Displaced Persons
Minorities & Previously Excluded Populations
Persons with Disabilities

Which of the UN Sustainable Development Goals does your solution address?

4. Quality Education

In which countries will you be operating within the next year?

Myanmar

How many people does your solution currently serve? How many will it serve in one year? In five years?

Currently, GTLC is embedded, serving 1000 people in implementing educational projects humanitarians aid programs and research activities focused on assisting the most vulnerable areas in Southeast Myanmar by local youth fellowship. As the strikes of global pandemic and military, the school closures and having disturbances of learning process lead to the high level of dropping out of Education, a core reason for the initiative of digital self-access learning.

With the One year plan, we will be targeting 2000 people depending on the current situations of Myanmar. We will expand our strength by engaging the community leaders and ethnic leaders to solve and upgrade Education in ethnic areas.

We hope our solution will exceed local ( ethnic) level reaching nationwide with 5000 impact people in the next five years.

How are you measuring your progress toward your impact goals?

Following monitoring tool will use for measuring impacts:

Educational and employment records of beneficiary and impact assessment surveys

Selection procedures document and list of selected communities and village

Number of people reached, photographs, and program outlines for the events

Monitoring and Evaluation reports and list of beneficiary significantly increase their educational skills

Biweekly report

Monthly reflection meeting with stakeholders

About Your Team

What type of organization is your solution team?

Hybrid of for-profit and nonprofit

How many people work on your solution team?

Five volunteer-driven team members come together for helping community economy.

How long have you been working on your solution?

Six months

How are you and your team well-positioned to deliver this solution?

Team members have conducted the following projects:

GTLC launched training in December 2020 on research methodology and online data collection. After the training, the trainees were able to apply the research skills in their respective fields.

In addition, the young founders of GTLC were able to research two papers to benefit the region. These papers are entitled: “Assessment on Digitalization of agribusiness practices through learning experiences from Myanmar COVID- 19 business crisis” and “Current View of Local People On Stage One Drug Users’ Behavior in Hpa-an: Basis for a Primary Prevention Drug Addiction Among Young Adult Program.”

Research papers were written promptly to address local issues. Students who finished research training will also learn about research techniques and become well-versed in further study. Students will also be able to identify local needs and problems and discuss practical suggestions.

May 2021- Present

Short-term Summer School and Food Distribution Project during COVID-19 and Unstable Political Situations in Myanmar

May 2021- Present

Food Packs Distribution in Purpose of Helping Displaced People in Myanmar

May 2021- Present

Support Food Emergency Needs and Education Assistance Materials for Internally Displaced People in Conflict-affected Area at Karen State

What is your approach to building a diverse, equitable, and inclusive leadership team?

Team members come from different backgrounds and ethnicities. Team members love people and serve with inner hearts for communities. Team has different perspectives and assumptions for going forward for nation-building and community building.

Your Business Model & Partnerships

Partnership & Prize Funding Opportunities

Why are you applying to Solve?

Galilee Training and Learning Center is located in Hpa-an, Karen State, southeastern Myanmar, and was established by local youth with experience in the field of development. GTLC provides young people in Karen State with professional vocational soft skills; It is a community-based training school that provides the necessary technical skills for local development and regional rehabilitation in underdeveloped areas. GTLC aims to find the gaps for youth access to education and development in southeast Myanmar to provide practical solutions on implementation and policy-building for regional development. It is designed to help future generations become professionals in their interests through bridging GTLC education services and their actual implementation in their experience fields.

In which of the following areas do you most need partners or support?

Human Capital (e.g. sourcing talent, board development, etc.)
Business model (e.g. product-market fit, strategy & development)
Financial (e.g. improving accounting practices, pitching to investors)
Product / Service Distribution (e.g. expanding client base)

Please explain in more detail here.

Galilee Training and Learning Center is located in Hpa-an, Karen State, southeastern Myanmar, and was established by local youth with experience in the field of development. GTLC provides young people in Karen State with professional vocational soft skills; It is a community-based training school that provides the necessary technical skills for local development and regional rehabilitation in underdeveloped areas. GTLC aims to find the gaps for youth access to education and development in southeast Myanmar to provide practical solutions on implementation and policy-building for regional development. It is designed to help future generations become professionals in their interests through bridging GTLC education services and their actual implementation in their experience fields.

So we need to strengthening and set up complete system to survive in Myanmar.

What organizations would you like to partner with, and how would you like to partner with them?

We would like at partners with international learning centers, CBOs, CSOs, INGO, NGOs for helping displaced persons in Myanmar.

Do you qualify for and would you like to be considered for The ASA Prize for Equitable Education? If you select Yes, explain how you are qualified for the prize in the additional question that appears.

Yes, I wish to apply for this prize

Explain how you are qualified for this prize. How will your team use The ASA Prize for Equitable Education to advance your solution?

We believed that we can reach the mission as follow:

Galilee Training and Learning Center is located in Hpa-an, Karen State, southeastern Myanmar, and was established by local youth with experience in the field of development. GTLC provides young people in Karen State with professional vocational soft skills; It is a community-based training school that provides the necessary technical skills for local development and regional rehabilitation in underdeveloped areas. GTLC aims to find the gaps for youth access to education and development in southeast Myanmar to provide practical solutions on implementation and policy-building for regional development. It is designed to help future generations become professionals in their interests through bridging GTLC education services and their actual implementation in their experience fields.

Do you qualify for and would you like to be considered for The Andan Prize for Innovation in Refugee Inclusion? If you select Yes, explain how you are qualified for the prize in the additional question that appears.

Yes, I wish to apply for this prize

Explain how you are qualified for this prize. How will your team use The Andan Prize for Innovation in Refugee Inclusion to advance your solution?

We are qualified for this prize because we have currently well know about Myanmar context and we have been well studied about the solution. Below are Myanmar conditions.

Myanmar is double affected through natural disasters and human-made disasters in the Covid-19 outbreak and Military coup starting from March 2021 to until now. Human right violation, education backwardness, and economic decaying increase during the COVID-19 outbreak and military coup.

Human rights for youth are everything in darkness in Myanmar, especially lacking rule of laws and restricting access to the internet through top-down policy implication in Myanmar negatively impact on promoting human rights awareness. Myanmar military junta repeatedly violate the country’s laws, rules, regulations, and constitutions during the military coup. According to the assistance association for political prisoners, 840 people are now confirmed killed by the junta coup[1]. The UN human rights expert report that the Myanmar military force to get the civilian government power and continued to violence the Myanmar people by constraining murder, assault, and arbitrary detention. The janda methodically and unlawfully pull apart the people of Myanmar’s legal protections, installing new laws that remove basic protections of freedom of expression, freedom of assembly and association, and privacy[2].53 children under the age of 18 including 7 girls have been killed since the army took power and at least 1000 children now being held without access to lawer and family.[3] Military janta forced telecommunication companies to shut down access to on Febuary 1 and again the military orders a third national shutdown on Feb. 15, which lasts from midnight to 9 a.m. In this way, youth have lost free to study, work, live, speech, travel, wear, information or share, and connect.

In Myanmar, Education backwards during Covid-19 and military is impacting the education process and learning opportunities of youth all over the country. First of all, these cases disrupted the education process of millions of children[4] and compulsory education. For example, when MOH officially registered Covid-19 in Myanmar, schools and universities are closed fully or partially: increased dropping out of education[5] and social isolation among children, and National Education Strategic Plan was slowed in the Covid-19 and entirely stall by military coup[6]. Another distinctive impact is that the learning opportunities for youth in Myanmar especially higher education. For example, scholarship, exchanges, study tours and graduate program funded by international government projects were stopped, increasing the risk of leaning loss and education buden[7] on low income and middle-income families by set up the online leaning style but in these case, indigenous youth and marginalizes groups are more struggle and having difficulties in their learning not only unequal education funding but also shutting down the internet as an intensive confrontations between military and ethnic group for example in Rakhine and Chin state since 2019. By making Civil-disobedience movement by many universities, the challenges for student reached a peak and inclusive education for youths in Myanmar urgently need support and aids from international community to liberate these difficult situation.

Covid-19 pandemics has stopped the trading flows, and foreign investment has been canceled because of the unstable political situation in Myanmar. The commercial decline becomes both internal import and external export due to lockdown to prevent COVID- 19. When it appears Covid 19 positive in March 2020 in Myanmar, all of the transportation systems have been stopped, including commercial vehicle and public transport. As there are not enough goods and products in the countryside, indigenous youths trying to run small businesses are struggling with their daily income, and some have to stop their business need more creative ideas through business and entrepreneurship training.

During COVID- 19 pandemics and human right violation on indigenous widespread, there is a need for indigenous youth to enhance their basic research skills on their next steps of education level to create innovative research proposal and projects in response to emerging needs in the community, translate research into action, and develop strategies for sustainability. Moreover, social businesses will aim to recover from the negative COVID- 19 effect on indigenous family incomes and sustain reliable future investment shortly during and after the military coup.

[1] Assistance Association for Political Prisioners ( Burmar ), May 31, 2021

[2] UNITED NATIONS, Office of the High Commissioner| retrived from https://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBod...

[3] RFA| Myanmar military janta kills, detains Youth in Crackdown on Protest Movement|May 7, 2021| Retrieved from http://www.rfa.org/english/new...

[4] COVID-19 impacting education of ‘millions’ of children in Myanmar, January 28, 2021, retrieved from https://www.childfund.org.au/s...

[5] Chorogudi. Upendranadh| COVID- 19 Impact- Time for Myanmar to accelerate education reforms| January 31, 2021| Retrieved from http://www.mizzima.com/article...

[6]Charlotte. Galloway| How Myanmar’s coup will impact higher education| Febuary 22, 2021| Retrived from http://policyforum.net/how-mya...

[7] Chorogudi. Upendranadh| COVID- 19 Impact- Time for Myanmar to accelerate education reforms| January 31, 2021| Retrieved from http://www.mizzima.com/article...

Do you qualify for and would you like to be considered for The GM Prize? If you select Yes, explain how you are qualified for the prize in the additional question that appears.

Yes, I wish to apply for this prize

Explain how you are qualified for this prize. How will your team use The GM Prize for Innovation in Refugee Inclusion to advance your solution?

Through following Galilee value and goals, we can empower community well-being:

Galilee Training and Learning Center is located in Hpa-an, Karen State, southeastern Myanmar, and was established by local youth with experience in the field of development. GTLC provides young people in Karen State with professional vocational soft skills; It is a community-based training school that provides the necessary technical skills for local development and regional rehabilitation in underdeveloped areas. GTLC aims to find the gaps for youth access to education and development in southeast Myanmar to provide practical solutions on implementation and policy-building for regional development. It is designed to help future generations become professionals in their interests through bridging GTLC education services and their actual implementation in their experience fields.

Do you qualify for and would you like to be considered for the Innovation for Women Prize? If you select Yes, explain how you are qualified for the prize in the additional question that appears.

No, I do not wish to be considered for this prize, even if the prize funder is specifically interested in my solution

Explain how you are qualified for this prize. How will your team use The AI for Humanity Prize to advance your solution?

No, I do not wish to be considered for this prize, even if the prize funder is specifically interested in my solution

Do you qualify for and would you like to be considered for The GSR Prize? If you select Yes, explain how you are qualified for the prize in the additional question that appears.

Yes, I wish to apply for this prize

Explain how you are qualified for this prize. How will your team use The GSR Prize Prize to advance your solution?

Galilee Training and Learning Center is located in Hpa-an, Karen State, southeastern Myanmar, and was established by local youth with experience in the field of development. GTLC provides young people in Karen State with professional vocational soft skills; It is a community-based training school that provides the necessary technical skills for local development and regional rehabilitation in underdeveloped areas. GTLC aims to find the gaps for youth access to education and development in southeast Myanmar to provide practical solutions on implementation and policy-building for regional development. It is designed to help future generations become professionals in their interests through bridging GTLC education services and their actual implementation in their experience fields.