The Ministry of Education in Myanmar, with support from the World Bank, will organize a public consultation meeting on February 17 to inform and consult with the public and stakeholders on the Ministry’s revised programs for school grants and student stipends. These programs will continue to be implemented and funded by the government of Myanmar, but will also benefit from additional top up financing and technical assistance from the World Bank.  

Through the school grants program, about 43,000 government schools will benefit from increased funding for operational spending. New school grants operational guidelines will also encourage schools to undertake school improvement planning and to increase community participation in the school. Under the revised stipends program, approximately 200,000 poor students in grades 5-11 will receive stipends that will promote increased enrollment, retention between grades and regular attendance. New operational guidelines for stipends will establish the procedure for targeting schools and students in poor or disadvantaged areas. The stipends program is expected to be rolled out to 40 townships in all States and Regions over 3 years. Each of these new programs will also be supported by the training of township education officials and school headmasters to be organized by the Ministry of Education.

The meeting was held from 1:30 – 3:30 pm at the Diamond Jubilee Hall of Yangon University in Yangon.