STEM Curriculum Development Years 1 & 2 (2018-2020)

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Client

UNESCO

Project Location

Project Duration

2 years

Total Value

$9m

Value of Montrose Component

$600,000 per year

Situation

  • Teacher education is one of the most critical objectives in Myanmar’s National Education Strategic Plan (2016-2021): 400,000 teachers will need to be trained.
  • As a result of underinvestment since 1998, there are vast challenges to providing effective pre-service training, identified by UNESCO’s Strengthening Pre-service
    Teacher Education in Myanmar (STEM) project. These include:

    • An outdated and overcrowded curriculum
    • A reliance on memorisation and rote learning
    • Large class sizes
    • Limited opportunities for student teachers to practise teaching

Solution

  • Montrose developed student textbooks and teacher’s guides for Years 1 and 2 of the four-year Education Degree, following recommendations from the STEM review.
  • The curriculum was developed around a competency-based syllabus, with practical, interactive, reflective lessons aimed at preparing trainee teachers for the classroom.
  • The 13 subject syllabi were integrated and aligned with basic education curricula, using examples and teaching practice from the new primary curriculum.
  • Montrose worked closely with the Core Curriculum Team – a group of experienced Myanmar teachers – to ensure appropriate ownership and contextual content.

Impact

  • Montrose developed high-quality learning materials which will support the strengthening of teacher training in Myanmar’s Education Colleges.
  • The on-going development of the four-year Education College professional degree is bringing teacher preparation in Myanmar in line with international standards.
  • The competency-based curriculum has started the transition towards developing the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed for effective teaching.
  • A focus on promoting student-centred, collaborative learning and critical thinking skills aims to move away from teacher-centred, content-based, rote learning.