PEACEBUILDING, EDUCATION AND ADVOCACY IN

CONFLICT-AFFECTED CONTEXTS PROGRAMME

UNICEF Myanmar
2014 Annual Report

Map of Myanmar

Contents
Acronyms ............................................................................................................................. i
Contribution Summary ....................................................................................................... ii
Executive Summary ............................................................................................................ 1
1.

PBEA Programme Overview ....................................................................................... 2

2.

Country Profile ............................................................................................................. 5

2.1.
2.2.

Overview ................................................................................................................. 5
Changes in the Country Context ............................................................................. 6

3.

Conflict Analysis .......................................................................................................... 6

4.

2014 Results ................................................................................................................. 8

4.1.
4.2.
4.3.
4.4.
4.5.

Global Outcome 1 Integrating peacebuilding and education ................................ 8

Global Outcome 2 Building institutional capacities ............................................. 11
Global Outcome 3 Developing community and individual capacities .................. 16
Global Outcome 4 Increasing access to conflict-sensitive education .................. 19
Global Outcome 5 Generating evidence and knowledge .................................... 23

5.

Monitoring and Evaluation ........................................................................................ 24

6.

Partnerships ............................................................................................................... 25

7.

Programme Management .......................................................................................... 26

7.1.
7.2.

Staffing Changes and Variances in Programme Activities ..................................... 26

Inter-Sectoral Engagement ................................................................................... 26

8.

Challenges, Lessons Learned and Unintended Consequences ............................. 27

9.

Outreach and Communications ................................................................................ 27

10.

Resources ............................................................................................................... 28

Cover photo: Aung Kyaw Soe, UNICEF Myanmar PBEA Focal Point, 2014

Acronyms
C4D
CESR
CFS
CSE
DRR
EAPRO
ECD
EiE
ETWG
EXCEL
GCA
INEE
KAP
KIO
LESC
M&E
MCO
MNEC
MoE
MRE
MREWG
NGCA
NESP
PBEA
QBEP
SIP
SSA
TEIP
TLS

Communication for Development

Comprehensive Education Sector Review
child-friendly school
conflict-sensitive education
disaster risk reduction
East Asia and the Pacific Regional Office
early childhood development
Education in Emergencies
Education Thematic Working Group
Extended and Continuous Education and Learning
government-controlled areas
International Network for Education in Emergencies
knowledge, attitudes and practices (survey)
Kachin Independent Organization
Language in Education and Social Cohesion
monitoring and evaluation
Myanmar Country Office
Mon National Education Commission
Ministry of Education
mine-risk education
Mine Risk Education Working Group
Non-governmental controlled area
National Education Sector Plan
Peacebuilding, Education and Advocacy (programme)
Quality Basic Education Programme
School Improvement Plan
School Self-Assessment
Township Education Improvement Planning
Temporary Learning Space

Contribution Summary
Project Name

Peacebuilding, Education and Advocacy

(PBEA) programme

Donor

Government of the Netherlands

Programme Country

Myanmar

Purpose of the Contribution

To strengthen the transformative potential

of education in conflict-affected contexts to
support cohesive societies and human
security

PBEA Programmable Contribution

Amount (2014)

US$2,651,570

PBEA Reference

SC110667

UNICEF Progress Report No.

Date Prepared

February 2015

Period Covered

1 January 2014 31 December 2014

ii

Executive Summary
For decades Myanmar has been beset by multiple ethnic conflicts and communal violence,
which has had a profoundly negative impact on the state of the countrys education provision
and the ability of many children to realize their right to quality education. It is estimated that
more than 1 million children in Myanmar are still out of school. Education is closely
interconnected with language, identity and equitable access to opportunities, and has a
crucial role to play in addressing conflict drivers and supporting the peace process in
Myanmar. Education is also critical to all aspects of social development and is the bedrock of
a countrys economy, good governance and culture. Getting education reform right in
Myanmar by ensuring that it is conflict-sensitive and inclusive in its design and delivery will
help advance the nations prospects for peace and prosperity.
Since October 2013, the UNICEF Myanmar Country Office (MCO) has participated in the
Peacebuilding, Education and Advocacy (PBEA) programme, which is currently being
implemented in 14 countries. MCO has aligned its PBEA activities with the five global
outcomes of strengthening: (1) policies; (2) institutions; (3) individual capacities; (4) peace
dividends; and (5) evidence-based research on the links between conflict and education. In
an effort to mainstream PBEA into its regular education section portfolio to strengthen the
sustainability of activities following the end of PBEA funding, MCO has pooled the US$2.65
million PBEA funds with its larger US$84 million four-year Quality Basic Education
Programme (QBEP). This has provided for opportunities to revise core programme activities,
such as teacher and head teacher training, to better reflect conflict sensitivity and
peacebuilding principles, to provide mother-tongue-based learning materials to children not
being reached by QBEP, and to improve the MCOs understanding of evolving conflict
dynamics in Rakhine state to inform future programming. QBEP is currently scheduled to
end in December 2015, the same time as the PBEA programme, but the MCO is actively
looking for ways to extend QBEP funding or identify other sources to sustain the activities
and progress made.
Several notable achievements occurred in 2014. At the policy level, the MCO has worked to
engage diverse education stakeholder groups in the Comprehensive Education Sector
Review (CESR) process. The team achieved some early successes, such as the
establishment of the Joint Education Sector Working Group, which is the high-level
mechanism for policy dialogue and coordination between government and development
partners in the education sector. However, continued advocacy is necessary for the
Government of Myanmar to be more inclusive of civil society in education reform. The MCO
team has also successfully advocated for the Ministry of Education (MoE) to prioritize policy
recommendations based on four conflict-sensitive criteria: (1) fostering social cohesion and
peacebuilding; (2) promoting inclusion; (3) ensuring equity; and (4) celebrating diversity.
Lastly, as language of instruction and its links to ethnic identity has been identified as a key
driver of conflict, the team actively supported the development of a language in education
policy framework that promotes multilingual education, leveraging funds from the UNICEF
Regional Language and Social Cohesion Initiative and other resources. This work received
additional momentum with the establishment of the new Department of Myanmar and Other
Language Education within the MoE, and the initiation by UNICEF of a Mother-Tongue
Based Multilingual Education Sub-Working Group. This group, co-chaired by UNICEF and
Pyoe Pin, a local non-governmental organization, brings together government and
development partners, education experts, and national and international and NGOs to
coordinate support for knowledge generation, advocacy, capacity building and language
policy development. It is one of a number of subgroups under the overall framework of the
Education Thematic Working Group, co-chaired by UNICEF and Save the Children.

At the downstream level, PBEA support has helped improve the situation of students,
teachers, parents and education administrators. Training on child-friendly schools (CFS) and
Refresher Training and Head Teacher Instructional Leadership Training have been revised
to include a dedicated day of training on conflict-sensitivity and peacebuilding, equipping
more than 240 master trainers, 3,000 head teachers and 7,000 teachers across 25
townships with principles of peacebuilding. More than 57,500 students, including internally
displaced persons, have benefited from increased access to learning spaces and materials
distribution. In an effort to mainstream gender equality in implementation of Education in
Emergencies (EiE) activities, the MCO sought to build relationships with female and male
community leaders and camp and village committee members. The team also trained
education staff on gender sensitivity to ensure an enabling school and classroom
environment for both girls and boys. Gender vulnerabilities in terms of water, sanitation and
hygiene were also considered in construction activities.

1.

PBEA Programme Overview

Programme inception
The MCO PBEA country programme was initiated in late 2013, almost two years after the
global programmes inception. The delayed participation was the result of a variety of
factors, the most prominent of which were: (1) the overstretched capacity of the MCOs
Education Section; and (2) concerns about formally working on peacebuilding and education
which joining the PBEA programme would have represented. After laying a deeper
foundation of trust around the sector reform process, and explaining the purpose and focus
of PBEA to senior MoE counterparts, the MCO agreed to join PBEA in October 2013. The
MCO is now slightly past the midpoint of its planned implementation, which is currently
scheduled to end in December 2015.
Regular quarterly consultations have been held with all key programme section chiefs and
relevant officers in UNICEF including Emergencies, Child Protection, Health, Social Policy,
Communication for Development (C4D) and Field Operations. Consultations were held more
frequently with the Chief of Field Operations and Field Offices to better understand the
rapidly changing contexts in conflict-affected and post-conflict areas where PBEA activities
were occurring, as well as to discuss the scope, interest and need for the integration of
conflict-sensitivity and peacebuilding components in MCO programme areas more generally.
For example, a Concept Note was developed in collaboration with Child Protection that
recommended integrating conflict-sensitivity and peacebuilding components into its planned
commissioning of social worker training for the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and
Resettlement. A similar Concept Note was developed for the Education Policy team
recommending steps to consider when supporting the Government of Myanmars policy and
legislative initiatives. In addition, a workshop was carried out with the C4D team on the
relevance of global mapping for C4D in peacebuilding and conflict transformation for
programming in Myanmar.
Conflict drivers and theories of change
The MCO PBEA programme specifically aims to address the key conflict drivers highlighted
in the conflict analysis (see Section 3 for details). Among the key issues that emerged were
that main grievances include the failure to recognize ethnic languages in the education
system, as well as the disregard that exists for the identity and cultural heritage of ethnic
minority groups. Such grievances have led to resentment and conflict. In addition, land and
property rights and the allocation of state revenue were also identified as major drivers of
conflict, along with unequal and inequitable distribution of resources within and between
states.
2

Accordingly, through the technical support provided by the PBEA Programme Manager from
headquarters, the Regional Education Adviser, and the Regional Education in Emergencies
and Peacebuilding Specialist from the UNICEF East Asia and the Pacific Regional Office
(EAPRO), as well as through consultations with relevant education representatives and the
country programme section chiefs, the MCO has sought to modify the design and plan
during programme implementation along the following theories of change:

Outcome 1: IF the diverse citizen groups of Myanmar are being respected in their
request for fair and proportional representation of their identity and civic legacies in
teacher and school curriculums as well as education policies, THEN resentment against
the Government will decline, and trust between the Government and minority groups will
increase.
Outcome 2: IF there is enhanced understanding and capacity among MoE staff,
development partners and minority groups to plan and implement culturally sensitive
curriculum reform, THEN mistrust between minority groups, non-state actors and the
MoE will decline and the needs for validation of cultural identity will be met.
Outcome 3: IF the capacities of education stakeholders those of teachers, children
and their parents are built to better incorporate conflict- and disaster-related risks
including mine-risk awareness or mine-risk education (MRE), civic education and human
rights into the teaching and learning processes, THEN they will be equipped with the
knowledge and skills (resiliency) to feel more secure, and to able to collaborate together
to prevent, cope with and mitigate conflict risks and natural hazards.
Outcome 4: IF we are facilitating improved and equitable access to quality education
services that are conflict-sensitive and promote social cohesion, especially to the most
vulnerable children in the most disadvantaged areas, including those formerly associated
with armed groups, THEN the inequality gap between education recipients will be
reduced, children formerly associated with armed groups will be fully reintegrated, and
the potential for conflict will decline.
Outcome 5: IF UNICEF collects evidence on good practices and quality programming,
and bases its programmes on findings of participatory conflict analysis, THEN the
organizations programmes are better prepared to support social cohesion and
peacebuilding.

Achievements to date
In 2013, the MCO received some initial funding, which was used to recruit an international
consultant; support the production of early childhood bilingual storybooks and supplementary
learning materials for out-of-school adolescents with peacebuilding-relevant themes; and
conduct orientation trainings for key CESR staff on conflict sensitivity and the promotion of
social cohesion through the education sector. The funds were also used for remuneration for
452 volunteer teachers working in camps for internally displaced persons in Rakhine state,
as well as to support a six-day training programme that included lessons on childrens rights
and peaceful co-existence in Kachin and Rakhine states. Both Kachin and Rakhine have
seen increased conflict and displacement in the past two years, and so the MCO has sought
to commission separate studies to better understand the nexus between conflict reduction
and emergency education in both states.
In 2014, the country programme achieved the following:

Outcome 1: The MCO ramped up its activities in all five outcome areas. At the policy
level, the MCO continued its advocacy and capacity-building efforts with the CESR team.
It also worked to ensure that the National Education Sector Plan currently being drafted
reflects key conflict-sensitive and peacebuilding principles. The team also supported the
3

development of a multilingual education policy and succeeded in establishing a SubWorking Group on Multilingual Education, leveraging the initial and ongoing support in
20132014 provided from EAPRO through the Language in Education and Social
Cohesion (LESC) initiative, in partnership with University of Melbourne, which provided
the platform for informed dialogue on the issue.
Outcome 2: At the institutional level, the MCOs extensive efforts to build trust between
state education authorities and the non-state groups have resulted in agreements for
joint teacher and head teacher training workshops that bring together staff from state and
non-state schools to attend the same government-sponsored workshop. This is a
considerable breakthrough and it is hoped that by working together these teachers will
be able to communicate their perspectives and increase understanding between the
different groups. This change has also resulted in the organization of peacebuildingintegrated Township Education Improvement Planning (TEIP) workshops that also
include state and non-state actors.
Outcome 3: At the individual level, the MCO has trained more than 7,000 teachers using
its revised CFS, head teacher and instructional leadership material, which incorporates
modules focused on conflict sensitivity and peacebuilding. The team developed seven
childrens books that were translated into 22 ethnic languages on the topics of MRE and
disaster risk reduction (DRR). The team also succeed in providing non-formal education
to more than 20,000 out-of-school youth. The team plans to develop and administer pre
and post-tests for future trainings conducted in 2015 to better capture changes in
knowledge. The team is also investigating the feasibility of collecting Most Significant
Change stories to better capture changes in attitudes and behaviour.
Outcome 4: In terms of peace dividends, the MCO supported the establishment of
Temporary Learning Spaces (TLSs) and provided supplementary learning materials in
camps for internally displaced persons and host communities, benefiting an estimated
22,000 children. The MCO has also provided a stipend to nearly 500 volunteer teachers
in these areas and continues to serve as a co-coordinator for the Education in
Emergencies sector. The need to provide these materials to both camps and host
communities was articulated in the PBEA-sponsored Rakhine Conflict and Education
Assessment and was one of the first recommendations the MCO has been able to
implement from the report. The team has admittedly struggled to capture higher-thanoutput-level results for its EiE activities, and would welcome suggestions from
headquarters on how to better capture these in 2015.
Outcome 5: In terms of research, the MCO commissioned a study on the links between
education and conflict in Rakhine; developed a detailed workplan identifying key
monitoring and evaluation (M&E) activities, timelines, deliverables and responsibilities;
completed two outcome case studies on language policy development and the ways in
which MRE can support social cohesion; and joined both the Developmental Evaluation
and Research Consortium efforts of the global PBEA initiative.

Leveraging of funds
A central feature of the Myanmar PBEA country programme is its purposeful design to
leverage funding and build on activities already taking place. The US$2.65 million PBEA
funding utilized in 2014 was in large part used to complement and add a conflict-sensitivity
and peacebuilding focus to activities occurring under the larger QBEP supported by the
Myanmar Multi-Donor Education Fund. For example, taking advantage of a previously
designed CFS training curriculum, the MCO identified an opportunity to integrate conflictsensitivity and peacebuilding into the training. The MCO team worked with MoE colleagues
and CFS trainers to revise the training materials and incorporate an additional day dedicated
entirely to modules on conflict sensitivity and peacebuilding. A similar process was also
followed for the programmes School Self-Assessment/School Improvement Plan (SSA/SIP)
trainings.
4

Additional examples of the MCOs ability to successfully leverage funding include using
PBEA funding to translate non-formal education materials into eight ethnic languages,
thereby ensuring that non-Myanmar speaking students were also reached; leveraging the
MCOs own support for the provision of education infrastructure in camps for internally
displaced persons by providing supplementary materials and remuneration for daily wage
teachers; and using the ongoing TEIP workshops as safe spaces and connectors to bring
state and non-state education actors together and learn from one another about how to
assess and respond to the education needs of their communities.

2.

Country Profile

2.1.

Overview

Country profile (Data source: Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys)

1. Full country name

Republic of the Union of Myanmar
2. Area
676,578 km2
3. Population, male
29,720,000
4. Population, female
30,060,000
5. Life expectancy, male
61
6. Life expectancy, female
67
National education indicators
7. Number per 100 population, mobile phones
8. Number per 100 population, internet users
9. Pre-primary school participation, gross enrolment ratio (%), male
10. Pre-primary school participation, gross enrolment ratio (%), female
11. Pre-primary school participation, gross enrolment ration (%), Total
12. Primary school participation, gross enrolment ratio (%), male
13. Primary school participation, gross enrolment ratio (%), female
14. Primary school participation, net enrolment ratio (%), male
15. Primary school participation, net enrolment ratio (%), female
16. Primary school participation, net attendance ratio (%), male
17. Primary school participation, net attendance ratio (%), female
18. Secondary school participation, net enrolment ratio (%), male
19. Secondary school participation, net enrolment ratio (%), female
20. Secondary school participation, net attendance ratio (%), male
21. Secondary school participation, net attendance ratio (%), female
22. Number of out-of-school children and youth, male
23. Number of out-of-school children and youth, female
Conflict and disaster indicators (where applicable)**
24. Number of violent deaths
25. Number of conflict incidents
26. Number of natural disasters recorded (floods, earthquakes)
27. Number of internally displaced persons, male
28. Number of internally displaced persons, female
29. Number of refugees, male
30. Number of refugees, female

N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
24%*
N/A
N/A
87.8
87.6
89.8
90.6
N/A
N/A
58.0
58.6
N/A
N/A
N/A
4
28**
189,450
231,550
183150
223,850

* Source: Department of Social Welfare.

** Between 1980 and 2011; Source: EMDAT (National Disaster Planning and Coordination Committee).

2.2.

Changes in the Country Context

Despite having undergone decades of isolation and multiple ethnic conflicts and communal
violence, Myanmar is now in a time of remarkable transition. Gradually since 2012, the
Government of Myanmar has simultaneously embarked on ambitious economic, political and
administrative reforms, including the removal of strict state control over its population, at a
pace that has surprised many in the international community. This seemingly sudden pace of
reforms has been largely driven by internal factors, including the recognition of the countrys
overreliance on China, war weariness among its political and military elites and, crucially, the
recognition of the countrys poor economic performance in comparison with that of its
neighbours.1
However, with change comes both opportunities and risks. On the one hand, the reform
process and in particular the CESR process offers an excellent chance to get
educational reform right through establishment of NESP by ensuring that it is conflictsensitive and inclusive in its design and delivery, and in turn helping to advance the
countrys prospects for peace, prosperity and, ultimately, improving the quality of life of its
population. However, as the recent student demonstrations against the National Education
Law underline, failure to follow an inclusive process can quickly lead to frustration,
misinformation, and even public protest.
As was witnessed in various parts of the country since 2012, the removal of strict state
control has also exposed the many inequalities that exist between the predominant
population ethnic Burmans and other minority groups, be it in terms of economic
opportunities, access to social services (education and health)2 or newly available
opportunities for civic and political participations. Such inequalities have long constituted the
main drivers of social unrest and conflicts in the country. This suggests that the political,
economic and social reforms that are concurrently taking place need to be equitably and
effectively managed, as well as systematically communicated to the general population;
otherwise, further conflicts may ensue. Improving basic services in conflict-affected areas of
the southeast also needs to be aligned with Joint Peace Needs Assessment and the Peace
Infrastructure initiatives being spearheaded jointly by the Government of Myanmar and the
Myanmar Peace Center.
With such opportunities and risks in mind, Myanmars PBEA programme aims to ensure that
it is both designed and implemented in a way that addresses existing conflict drivers through
interventions in education policy planning, reform, and capacity development for both state
and non-state education actors in a conflict-sensitive and peacebuilding-relevant manner.

3.

Conflict Analysis

Due to both the late start of the Myanmar PBEA county programme and the number of
reliable conflict assessments conducted by other donors, the MCO decided not to
commission its own nationwide conflict assessment. Instead, the country team utilized
information from the recently completed assessments below to inform the design on its
activities:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Myanmar Joint Peacebuilding Assessment

Myanmar Strategic Conflict Assessment
United Nations Country Team Peace and Development Conflict Sensitivity Analysis
Rakhine Response Plan

United Nations Country Team, 2013.

Jolliffe, Kim, Ethnic Conflict and Social Services in Myanmar's Contested Regions, The Asia Foundation, Yangon, Myanmar,
June 2014, available at <http://asiafoundation.org/publications/pdf/1375>.
2

5. Myanmar Peacebuilding Center Conflict Analysis

6. Rakhine Conflict Analysis (Danish Refugee Council)
The country teams analysis was updated in 2014 based on two key documents:
1. PBEA-supported Rakhine Conflict and Education Assessment (still in draft)
2. Ethnic Conflict and Social Services in Myanmars Contested Regions (The Asia
Foundation)
From these reports, it was gleaned that the failure to recognize, and the disregard for, the
identity and cultural heritage of ethnic minority groups is one of the main causes of
grievances that have led to resentment and conflict in the country. The desk review also
highlighted that the lack of inclusive, conflict-sensitive education policies that promote social
cohesion and address the grievances of ethnic minority groups for equal opportunities in
education and acknowledgement of their identity, history, citizenry, linguistic and cultural
heritage and basic education rights has resulted in the lack of trust towards the Government
of Myanmar and resentments between different population groups.
In response, the MCO designed its PBEA country programme to reflect and mitigate different
types of conflict (i.e., communal violence, armed conflict and post-armed conflict). In some
areas, the programme is intended to promote ethnic languages that link to identified conflict
drivers in terms of children not being able to learn in their own mother-tongue languages,
and threats (real and perceived) that this will also lead to the diminishment of minority
groups culture heritage. The MCO also identified the risk that children whose mother tongue
is not Myanmar but who attend schools where classes are taught in Myanmar run the dual
risk of both forgetting their mother tongue and also not fully understanding the material.
Stated as a theory of change, the MCO hypothesized that if children from minority ethnic
groups are taught in their mother tongue, then they will be better able to understand the
material and their learning will improve. In this way, children and parents of minority groups
will feel that government schools are more inclusive and pose less of a threat to their unique
cultural and language needs, and thus they will feel less vulnerable and look to engage
constructively with other groups, thereby providing a foundation for social cohesion.
In other contexts, however, such as that of Rakhine, the main conflict driver is less centred
around language and more focused on the issue of access to the formal education system,
particularly for those children in camps for internally displaced persons. Although most
children attended government schools before the outbreak of communal violence in 2012,
restrictions on their mobility and intercommunal tensions prevent them from doing so today.
The issue of citizenship is of central importance for many in Rakhine and manifests in the
education system with parents, and in some cases students themselves, questioning the
utility of a formal education if their lack of citizenship prevents their formal employment with
or without a formal education. The issue of citizenship is highly politicized and fraught with
tension in Myanmar. Citizenship entails not just the right to education, but also the right to
land ownership, legal and economic rights, and the right to vote, to name a few. The United
Nations has been heavily criticized for getting involved in the issue of citizenship, and the
MCO has made the determination not to pursue this issue in the spirit of doing no harm.
Instead, the MCO has sought to provide TLSs and supplementary materials to those most in
need, including in both camps and host communities, in an effort to be conflict sensitive and
not to further stoke tensions. While the Rakhine State Education Department has so far been
supportive of these efforts, direct MCO advocacy for citizenship for children would jeopardize
its ability to provide future support.
In an effort to better understand the unique educational and conflict dynamics in Rakhine,
the MCO commissioned a conflict and education assessment in late 2013. Fieldwork and
draft revisions occurred throughout 2014, and a final draft of the assessment is expected in
7

early March 2015. The assessment identified a number of issues perpetuating conflict in
Rakhine, including:

A highly centralized education system that fails to properly devolve key education
decisions to the state and township level;
Perceptions of cultural favouritism and the perpetuation of stereotypes in education
content;
Restricted access of Muslims and other non-recognized groups to higher-level
education, resulting in increasingly low numbers of qualified teachers from these
groups;
Restrictions on language, culture and religion for non-Burman ethnic groups to
accessing education and other social services; and
Issues with teacher transfer and absenteeism, as teachers are placed by the MoE in
communities far from their own and in most cases in communities with a different
faith (e.g., a Buddhist teacher in a Muslim community). Teacher absenteeism due to
safety concerns was voiced as a common occurrence during assessment interviews,
particularly in more remote areas.

The MCO has already made adjustments to its implementation based on the preliminary
findings of the assessment; namely, ensuring that support is provided to both camps for
internally displaced persons and their host communities. Both the assessment and earlier
studies had identified a growing frustration within the host communities that internally
displaced persons are unevenly favoured by the international donor community at the
expense of the host communities own development needs. Once the findings are finalized in
March 2015, the MCO is planning to discuss them with the EiE Sector Working Group and
review its 2015 workplan to ensure that all activities are conflict-sensitive. The findings from
the report will also be used to plan activities beyond the current PBEA funding.

4.

2014 Results

4.1.

Global Outcome 1 Integrating peacebuilding and education

Country-level Outcome 1: Conflict-sensitive and peacebuilding-relevant principles are

reflected in key basic education policy documents. Tables extracted from the 2014
Operational Matrix are presented below for each country-level outcome summarizing key
outputs contributing to each outcome.
These outputs and associated activities for this outcome are based on the identified conflict
driver that the lack of inclusive, conflict-sensitive education policies that address the
grievances of ethnic minority groups regarding equal opportunities for success in education
and acknowledgement of their identity, history, citizenry, linguistic and cultural heritage and
basic education rights has resulted in lack of trust towards governments and resentments
between groups.
The theory of change guiding the policy-level activities is that IF the diverse citizen groups
of Myanmar are being respected in their request for fair representation of their identity and
civic legacies in teacher and school curriculums as well as education policies, THEN
resentment against the Government will decline, and trust between the Government and
minority groups will increase.
Indicator
1. Conflict-sensitive and peacebuilding-relevant principles are reflected in
key basic education policy documents based on findings from the conflictsensitive and peacebuilding audits.

Target
Yes

Actual
Yes

Indicator
Target
Actual
Output 1.1: The CESR is risk-informed and conflict sensitive, and contributes towards
peacebuilding.
1.1.1. Number of participants in training conducted for CESR team
20
50
members
1.1.2. CESR is risk-informed and conflict sensitive (based on the conflict
Yes
Yes
and disaster risk analysis), and addresses vulnerabilities and promotes
cross-sectoral programming approaches.
Output 1.2: Myanmars education policy is enriched to allow for greater use of multilingual
approaches and methods at state, district and township levels.
1.2.1. CESR Phases 2 and 3 reports (and national education system plans) Yes
Yes
that highlight and recognize the importance of inclusive language in
education policy and make recommendations.
1.2.2. A desk review conducted on the current situation of the national
Yes
No
language policy and language in education policy.

Output 1.1: The CESR is risk-informed and conflict sensitive, and contributes towards
peacebuilding.
The MCO continued its advocacy and capacity building work with the CESR team in 2014,
including activities to increase conflict-sensitivity analysis and peacebuilding awareness. A
key activity was support to planning and implementation of stakeholder consultations on the
in-depth analytical reports produced under CESR Phase 2.
UNICEF effectively advocated with the MoE to communicate to stakeholders the key criteria
for the prioritization of policy recommendations made during the consultations. These were
selected for their impacts on: fostering social cohesion and peacebuilding; promoting
inclusion; ensuring equity; and celebrating diversity, of which gender considerations are an
integral part. The four criteria were presented in a plenary discussion during the
consultations and used as the basis for group discussions on prioritization of specific
recommendations. The teams leading the consultations noted that this session had helped
to build trust and understanding among participants, which they felt reflected a change from
earlier CESR consultations.
Challenges abound, however. Due to competing demands on the MoEs time during the
rapid reform process for education in Myanmar, scheduling and gaining high-level approval
to undertake the consultations proved challenging. This resulted in delayed consultations
and fewer consultation meetings being held than originally planned. These included
consultations with development partners and with education-focused NGOs conducted
through the Education Thematic Working Group (ETWG) in April 2014, and three
consultations also held for stakeholders in 4 of the 14 states and regions in Myanmar
(Mawlyemine, Monywa, Taunggyi and Yangon) in July.
While the UNICEF MCO team advocated strongly for a broad-based, inclusive consultation
process, it was only able to have limited influence over the final participant lists, which the
MoE shared at a very late stage. The team noted that the numbers of civil society
participants were rather limited, and consequently advocated that the MoE consider
broadening the range/number of civil society groups, especially those representing minority
ethnic and language groups, in order to gain more balanced and representative feedback.
Ultimately, participation in the consultations was skewed more to government than to civil
society, and work remains to be done to further strengthen civil society inclusion in the
CESR. This will be addressed during planning of the consultations on the NESP in CESR
Phase 3.
During the reporting period, a National Education Law was developed and passed, in
response to a recommendation in the Policy, Legislation and Management component of the
9

Rapid Assessment of CESR Phase 1, supported by the United Nations Educational,

Scientific and Cultural Organization. The law was developed outside the CESR process, with
only limited public consultation and without donor support. For example, the National
Network for Education Reform a key umbrella group of civil society organizations actively
critical of the CESR process did not attend a high-level meeting to generate final
comments on the draft law. There is some lack of clarity as to whether the group was invited
by the MoE or not. The group subsequently released a declaration during a press
conference stating that it would no longer seek to work with the Government of Myanmar on
the sector reform process. This has had significant repercussions, as outlined in Section 8.
A key feature of the new National Education Law are articles 43 and 44, which state that the
language of instruction in schools can be Myanmar or English, or a combination of Myanmar
and English. The law also states that if there is a need, an ethnic language can be used
alongside Myanmar as a language of instruction at the basic education level. While this
short sentence is not as comprehensive a provision for Mother-Tongue Based Multilingual
Education, as our advocacy with the law drafting teams had encouraged, it does provide a
new space for dialogue around multilingual education approaches. In addition, the law states
that teaching of ethnic languages and literature can be implemented by division or state
governments, starting at the primary level and gradually expanding, which encourages
decentralized decision-making that is likely to benefit communities who do not speak
Myanmar as their mother tongue. While marking a progression from previous education
policy, which only allowed use of Myanmar as the language of instruction, the article has
been hotly contested by opposition and student groups, who are calling for a more robust
statement on ethnic languages to guarantee rights. Two revised draft amendments, one
based on student demands and one submitted by the MoE, are to be debated in Parliament
in March 2015.
Related to conflict sensitivity, one explicit objective of the law is to develop union spirit and
to create citizens who respect, value, preserve, and develop all the ethnic groups
languages, literatures, culture, arts, traditions, and historical heritage. This is perhaps an
indication that other comments on the law from UNICEF relating to embracing diversity
had been taken on board. The law, however, has not been well received by the public, and
remains a source of bitter contention and conflict. The Hluttaw (Parliament) Committee on
Education Development have invited comments from stakeholders, including development
partners, on both revised draft amendments to inform parliamentary debate. UNICEF,
together with education sector co-chair Australia, has coordinated a joint statement on behalf
of development partners, which focuses on consistency with key United Nations rights
instruments, rather than the specifics of either version. At this highly charged time, multiple
actors, including extreme religious groups, may use the pretext of the law to polarize debate
and draw political capital for their own vested interests, and the ultimate outcomes remain
difficult to predict at this stage.
Output 1.2: Myanmar education policy enriched to allow for greater use of multilingual
approaches and methods at state, district and township levels.
To support the development of education systems that are inclusive of diverse ethnic and
linguistic groups and respond to language as a barrier to education in Myanmar, Professor
Joseph Lo Bianco from the University of Melbourne and UNICEF are working at the national
level and with key stakeholders in Mon state to facilitate the development of state-level
language policies. Policies at the national and state levels will be developed simultaneously
in 20142015 using a participatory process of facilitated dialogues, consultations and site
visits involving a range of key language and education stakeholders. The national and state
policies will reflect learning in and of ethnic languages, the union language (Myanmar) and
the English language as a key international language, and will include provisions for children
with special education needs, in particular for deaf children to learn sign language. A
10

detailed implementation plan will also be developed. As previously mentioned, some of this
work on multilingual education/language policy has happened through LESC and support
from the EAPRO PBEA.
Key activities in 2014 have included a facilitated dialogue in Mon state between government
actors, education experts and civil society groups, including parents and community
members in May followed by a Technical Meeting and subsequent Decision Makers Meeting
held in November. At the same time, the MCO also formed a Technical Advisory Group and
Steering Group to accelerate the language policy-promoting process in Mon state in
accordance with regional authorities and participants from the teams. An additional
facilitated dialogue followed in July 2014 in Nay Pyi Taw for decision makers, education
experts and civil society members, resulting in a draft preamble for the union policy being
agreed. Policy development is planned for expansion to Kachin, Kayin and Shan states in
2015, and there is potential for adaptation to more states and regions in the future.
Through the LESC regional initiative, a regional workshop co-chaired by the MoE and
UNICEF Myanmar was convened in Yangon on 1517 September 2014. Though originally
conceived as a UNICEF event, it was a great step forward that MoE offered to co-host the
meeting, and an indication of growing dialogue around language education issues. The
workshop provided a forum for sharing experiences on multilingual education among
countries participating in the LESC, namely Malaysia, Myanmar and Thailand, as well as
others interested in getting involved, including Cambodia, Viet Nam and West Papua, as well
as regional experts.
An ETWG workshop was convened the following day on the same theme. The ETWG, cochaired by UNICEF and Save the Children, provides a neutral space for dialogue on
technical issues related to policy, and brings together diverse groups in a non-threatening
environment, which has contributed to fostering trust and confidence between the players.
The workshop shared the lessons learned from the regional LESC initiative with a broader
stakeholder base in country, and provided a platform for initiating national discussion on
language education policy. With 156 participants, it was the largest-ever ETWG meeting,
and a strong indication of the level of national interest on the issue. Facilitated by Professor
Joe Lo Bianco, the meeting brought together regional speakers from UNICEF Malaysia;
Mahidol University, Thailand, as well as MoE Myanmar, ethnic language and literature
groups, and non-state actors. Participants included state parliamentarians; MoE staff; civil
society organizations; United Nations agencies; development partners; ETWG members;
universities of national races, foreign languages and science and arts; and various
stakeholders of education in Myanmar. As a result of the workshop, a new Sub-Working
Group on Multilingual Education under the ETWG was formed later in the year, with a view
to supporting policy advocacy on language education issues. A blog and short video from
the workshop can be found here: <http://unicefmyanmar.blogspot.com/2014/09/languageand-education-force-for-peace.html>.
4.2.

Global Outcome 2 Building institutional capacities

Country-level Outcome 2: Increased capacity of the MoE, development partners and

non-state groups3 to provide conflict-sensitive education services in a consultative
and trust-building manner.
The activities described below were based on the identified conflict driver that the lack of
capacity to adequately ensure inclusive education delivery in the education system in order
3
Non-state actors are non-government political and military actors that have influence in various areas of Myanmar. While most
such actors have signed ceasefires with the Government, a few groups remain in active violent conflict with the Government.
Most of these groups provide considerable political and social services in their areas and are regarded as an important
stakeholder by the MCO to ensure the provision of inclusive, quality and conflict-sensitive education.

11

to address the grievances of ethnic groups regarding their educational needs,

acknowledgement of their identity, history citizenry, linguistic and cultural heritage and basic
education rights has resulted in lack of trust towards the governments and resentment
between groups.
The activities were designed to address this conflict driver through the theory of change that
IF there is enhanced understanding and capacity among MoE staff, development partners,
and minority groups to plan and implement culturally sensitive curriculum reform, THEN
mistrust between minority, groups, non-state actors and MoE will decline and needs for
validation of cultural identity will be met.
Indicator
Target
Actual
2. CESR/sector reform processes and reports reflect conflict-sensitive and
Yes
Yes
peacebuilding principles and include specific focus on building peace and
social cohesion.
Output 2.1: Increased awareness of MoE staff, development partners and minority groups on
the dynamics that underpin the conflicts in Myanmar, and the potential impact that
education has on these conflict dynamics.
2.1.1. Number of target education stakeholders, both state and non-state,
30
50
trained on delivering conflict-sensitive basic education services
Output 2.2: Increased information-sharing and collaboration (trust and confidence
measures) between state and non-state education actors in delivering basic education
services that are conflict sensitive and contribute to peacebuilding and social cohesion for
all children.
2.2.1. Number of joint planning and consultation meetings held
5
3
Output 2.3.1: Capacity of MoE staff in the curriculum development department created in the
design of conflict-sensitive/peacebuilding curriculum materials and pedagogies.
Output 2.3.2: Training manuals and materials developed and provided.
2.3.1. Number of MoE curriculum staff trained in designing conflict-sensitive
20
75
curriculum materials and pedagogies for both teacher education and school
curricula
2.3.2. Number of training manuals/materials developed and provided
1000
0
Output 2.4.1: At least two non-state actors engaged in trainings and awareness-raising
activities on children affected by armed conflict and how it links to peacebuilding.
Output 2.4.2: The capacity of national government actors (including the Myanmar Mine
Action Centre) is built to establish a mechanism that would enhance the Governments
response to community needs, and strengthen trust and relationship between state
institutions and affected communities.
2.4.1. At least two non-state actors trained
2
1
2.4.2. Workshops conducted for national government actors including the
Yes
Yes
Myanmar Mine Action Center.

Output 2.1: Increased awareness of MoE staff, development partners and minority
groups on the dynamics that underpin the conflicts in Myanmar, and the potential
impact that education has on these conflict dynamics.
In March 2014, the CFS Refresher Training Course was updated to include a full-day on
conflict sensitivity and peacebuilding through a series of consultations and discussions with
MoE staff. This included a dual-pronged strategy of working at both the policy level with the
CESR teams and delivering the revised CFS training downstream. These processes
provided early entry points to help raise the awareness of MoE staff for peacebuilding in
education and equip central CFS facilitators with knowledge on conflict sensitivity and
peacebuilding. It also provided an opportunity for teachers to strengthen their peacebuilding
skills and knowledge. The MCO will look to more concretely measure the increases in
knowledge through pre- and post-tests in 2015.
A total of 7,044 primary teachers from 25 target townships attended the CFS Refresher
Training in May 2014. According to the feedback received during training, a majority of
12

teachers expressed their interest in emphasizing peacebuilding and unity for their students
through group work and other classroom activities in a range of different subjects. Some
townships, such as Demoso and Pyapon, reported using what they had learned during the
training and asking their students to work together to create drawings, cartoons, short stories
and scripts for role play on peacebuilding themes following their lessons.
Peacebuilding in education was also integrated into the QBEP-combined head teacher
training module on SSA/SIP and Instructional Leadership training conducted in July 2014 in
collaboration with MoE staff, the British Council and local NGOs such as the Monastic
Education Development Group and Pyo Pin. This revised head teacher training module is
intended to build the leadership and management capacity of head teachers to promote
better collaboration among teachers, reduce conflicts among children, and reduce conflict
between schools and communities. The peacebuilding module aims to address both interethnic and interpersonal issues. In terms of inter-ethnic issues, the module covered issues of
exclusion of ethnic minority students and how to manage instances where the head teacher
was from a different ethnic background than the majority of the schools community. The
module also covered interpersonal conflict scenarios and discussed how to address
disagreements between head teachers and their communities that were not based on ethnic
issues.
A total of 243 township facilitators from 34 target townships received Training of Trainers
training with the revised head teacher training module in Yangon in December 2014.
Township-level training continued in January 2015, and a total of 2,908 head teachers from
34 target townships, including head teachers from Mon National Education Commission
(MNEC) schools (a non-state actor), attended. The team will look to track any outcomes
related to this training, both in terms of improved, conflict-sensitive training but also on the
results of bringing together state and non-state teachers during these trainings. According to
regular monitoring reports by field officers and corroborated by recent newspaper articles,4
teachers remained focused on teaching material specific to the national exams and are
struggling to find time during the school day to teach subjects and material not already within
the regular core curriculum.
Output 2.2: Increased information-sharing and collaboration (trust and confidence
measures) between state and non-state education actors in delivering basic education
services that are conflict sensitive and contribute to peacebuilding and social
cohesion for all children.
In Mon state, extensive efforts to build trust between state education authorities and the
MNEC have resulted in agreements to hold joint head teacher and teacher training
workshops that bring together staff from state and non-state schools. This is a considerable
breakthrough and provides a forum for these teachers to work together, share and discuss
their different perspectives, with the aim of increasing understanding between the different
groups. This change has also resulted in the organizing of peacebuilding-integrated TEIP
workshops in Mon that also include state and non-state actors. Some 50 people 30 males
and 20 females, including state and township education officials attended the workshop,
which included a one-day conflict-sensitivity module integrated into the regular TEIP activity.
Although not directly attributable to the TEIP workshops alone, a recent significant success
has been seen with MNEC and the Mon state government agreeing to have Mon language
integrated as a regular subject in the core curriculum in Mon state.

<www.mmtimes.com/index.php/national-news/12962-child-centred-education-reform-a-failure.html>.

13

Activity 2.3.1: Training in conflict-sensitive curriculum development in both teacher

education and school curriculum for MoE staff in the curriculum development
department.
Conflict-sensitive education and peacebuilding training was provided to the curriculum
development team within MoE through a training attended by 75 education officials (25 male,
50 female). Gender sensitivity was discussed during the workshop, covering the topics of
negative gender stereotypes in schools and attitudes within communities that often
particularly affect girls. Specifically, participants discussed how girls can be discriminated
against in the classroom and how perceptions of the value of girls education can be
undermined by community attitudes that question the return on investment of a girls
education. While the trainings themselves have not yet resulted in concrete policy changes,
the MCO continues to actively advocate for inclusive education policies that consider the
unique needs of boys and girls, as well as students with disabilities. In addition, the MCO is
currently in discussion with CARE International to explore the possibility of a joint gender
study and ways that gender-based discrimination and violence can be better mitigated
through the education system. While the findings will likely come too late to directly influence
this round of PBEA funding, they will certainly be useful for informing the MCOs 20162017
work planning.
Activity 2.3.2: Development of manuals and materials (audio/visual) for training in
conflict-sensitive curriculum development in both teacher education and school
curriculum.
Training manuals and materials including a conflict-sensitive education checklist were
provided for 75 participants during a curriculum training in Yangon in February 2014.
International Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE) Conflict-Sensitive Education and
CFS-Peacebuilding manuals will be translated into the Myanmar language and distributed in
2015. The MCO is planning to commission a national consultant within the MoE to review
the changes currently being made to the curriculum using the conflict-sensitive checklist.
Output 2.4.1: At least two non-state actors engaged in trainings and awarenessraising activities on children affected by armed conflict and how it links to
peacebuilding.
Training 1: UNICEFs field office in Kachin initiated a discussion on a comprehensive
education assessment with the Kachin Independent Organizations (KIO) education
department during a cross-line mission meaning that data collection would occur in both
government- and non-government-controlled areas in early 2014. The KIO education
department expressed interest in developing a Township Education Management
Information System, which is a data management system adapted in 2008 using the global
UNICEF Education Management Information System model. However, due to the sporadic
armed conflict in areas of Kachin, the KIO education department sent an official letter to
UNICEF asking to suspend the Township Education Management Information System
assessment until a ceasefire agreement was in place with the Government. Unofficially,
however, the KIO education department also expressed concern that the information could
potentially be used for military purposes by the Government and therefore presented too
great of a risk for the department to disclose the location of schools and host communities.
During a workplan meeting in Myitkyina in March 2014, similar advocacy efforts were made
with the Kachin state education department for a workshop on joint work-planning to be
conducted with non-state actors. Although state education officials did not express any
objection on this joint planning workshop initiative, they have yet to develop the needed
guidelines or protocols to officially involve non-state actors in such workshops. The same
restriction applies to non-state actors, who also need higher-level permission to attend these
14

types of government-sponsored workshops. The MCO discussed these issues with the MoE
during their annual workplan meeting, and requested that a focal point be assigned within
the MPC, as they have authority to coordinate trainings and workshops directly with nonstate actors. This focal point is yet to be assigned and the MCO will continue its advocacy on
this front.
Training 2: An intensive three-day training on CFS and peacebuilding for community
teachers was conducted in November 2014 in Kya Inn Seik Gyi, a conflict-affected area of
Kayin state. It was conducted in collaboration with Township Education Officers who had
previously received the CFS-Peacebuilding integrated training. The main purpose of the
training was to provide examples of and explain peace education, CFS and Child Centre
Approach teaching methods for community teachers, and to facilitate their interaction with
community representatives from parent-teacher associations. A total of 33 community
teachers (20 female, 13 male) from Kyar Inn Seik Gyi Township attended the training. These
were teachers hired by their local village communities, not trained government teachers, in
Kayin National Union- controlled areas. The training was led by two government teachers
who provided instruction on how to prepare lessons plan, teach Myanmar and mathematics,
facilitate multi-grade teaching and micro-teaching with games, and design activities and
assessments through demonstration, group work and experience-sharing. The training also
provided an overview of peacebuilding, CFS and practical teaching experiences. Initial
feedback from participants indicated that they felt the content of the training was relevant to
their context, although participants also suggested that future trainings consider addressing
the issues of textbooks and mother-tongue teaching. This is a highly sensitive topic in
Myanmar, but the MCO is looking for ways to build off its current language policy in Mon to
advocate for similar policies in other states, such as Kayin.
Output 2.4.2: The capacity of national government actors (including the Myanmar
Mine Action Centre) is built to establish a mechanism that would enhance the
Governments response to community needs, and strengthen trust and relationship
between state institutions and affected communities.
A key achievement under this output was the implementation and subsequent use of a
PBEA-supported knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) survey carried out in landmineaffected areas of Kachin and south-east Myanmar. Myanmar is one of four countries globally
to still officially produce and use landmines (the other three are India, Pakistan and South
Korea), and landmines are used by both government and non-government forces. The
Government has historically been reluctant to hold any discussions on the issue of
landmines, and little reliable data existed on the extent of landmine contamination and the
risk faced by communities. With PBEA support, UNICEFs Child Protection sessions,
through its implementer, Danish Church Aid, carried out a large (389 household) survey in
eastern Bago region, Kayah, Kayin, Mon and Tanintharyi. The findings of the survey have
since been discussed in numerous joint government-civil society Mine Risk Education
Working Group (MREWG) meetings and used to develop improved MRE materials and
communication specifically targeted at the affected communities. The MREWG-developed
materials are presently being jointly field-tested by government and civil society
counterparts. (For additional information on the findings of the KAP survey and early
outcomes of the process, please see the second outcome case study submitted with this
report.)
Relatedly, in October 2014, UNICEF organized an internal workshop to develop a country
office-wide strategy on engagement with non-state entities, including definition of red lines
issues and boundaries that the MCO is not comfortable crossing to frame UNICEF work in
non-government-controlled areas. MRE was identified as one of the programmatic entry
points (along with immunization and early childhood development (ECD)) to leverage
UNICEFs mandate on children and armed conflict.
15

4.3.

Global Outcome 3 Developing community and individual capacities

Country-level Outcome 3: Increased capacity of education stakeholders and

community leaders in providing education services that are conflict sensitive and
contribute to peacebuilding.
The activities presented below were designed to address the identified conflict driver that the
lack of acknowledgement and appreciation of diverse groups within the education system
and inability of the system to provide conflict-sensitive and peace relevant education has
limited individual capacity to prevent as well as cope with conflict and natural hazards.
The activities were based on the theory of change that IF the capacities of education
stakeholders those of teachers, children and their parents are built to better incorporate
conflict- and disaster-related risks, including mine-risk awareness or MRE, civic education
and human rights into the teaching and learning processes, THEN they will be equipped with
the knowledge and skills (resiliency) to feel more secure, and to able to collaborate together
to prevent, cope with and mitigate conflict risks and natural hazards.
Indicator
Target
Actual
3. Education stakeholders and youth groups reported having
75%
50%
increased knowledge and capacities to deliver education services
that are conflict sensitive and peacebuilding relevant.
Output 3.1: Increased ability of teachers and adolescents to understand and manage
tensions and grievances, mitigate and prevent conflicts, and promote social cohesion in
their communities.
3.1.1. Per cent of trained teachers and volunteer teachers who
60%
60%
reported having increased knowledge and skills to cope with and
mitigate conflict tendencies in their respective communities.
3.1.2. Number of youth-focused, non-formal education classes that
400
243
provide a space for discussion and the exchange of ideas about
conflict (including potential sources of conflict and tension) in their
respective communities.
Output 3.2: Parents acquired the knowledge and skills of peacebuilding and peaceful
conflict resolution and could demonstrate how they can promote tolerance and appreciation
of diversities.
3.2.1. Number of parents receiving materials and orientation on
6,000
14,540
peacebuilding and peaceful conflict resolution
Output 3.3: Teachers and students in non-formal education, life skills classes receive DRR
materials.
3.3.1. Number of students receiving materials on DRR
30,000
10,200
Output 3.4.1: Number of youth volunteers trained to deliver MRE in schools.
3.4.1. Number of youth volunteers trained to deliver MRE in
1,000
113 (64
schools
males/49
females)
Output 3.4.2: Training materials developed and tested for MRE at the school level.
3.4.2. Number of schools receiving MRE
50
45 (30 schools,
10 camps for
internally
displaced
people, 5 child
centres)
Output 3.5: Head teachers and teachers provide conflict-sensitive education services in line
with the UNICEF CFS-Peacebuilding principle.
3.5.1. Number of learning materials on CFS SSA/SIP prepared
60
2,908
3.5.2. Number of training provided in conflict-affected areas
Not
3
establishe
d

16

Output 3.1: Increased ability of teachers and adolescents to understand and manage
tensions and grievances, mitigate and prevent conflicts, and promote social cohesion
in their communities.
In an effort to promote literacy and life skills development for adolescents, the MCO
developed 27 supplementary reading materials on issues such as practicing peace within
oneself, with family members and with the community; reproductive health; awareness of
human trafficking and mine risk; and prevention of common diseases, including HIV and
AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. In all, 11 of the 27 sets were distributed to
more than 684 non-formal education centres, benefiting more than 10,200 out-of-school
children (5,470 female). These storybooks were translated and adapted into common ethnic
languages Kayan, Kayin, Mon and Shan through four technical consultation workshops.
Some 30 people from five language and literacy groups participated in the workshop and
pre-testing of these books within their communities. The reading materials are now ready for
printing and are intended to be used as supplementary reading materials to improve literacy
skills.
Output 3.2: Parents acquired the knowledge and skills of peacebuilding and peaceful
conflict resolution and could demonstrate how they can promote tolerance and
appreciation of diversities.
A total of 243 township facilitators from 34 target townships received Training of Trainers
training on the revised head teacher training module in Yangon in December 2014.
Instructional Leadership Training had previously been covered through a series of trainings
(CFS, SSA/SIP) but were integrated into a single training that included PBEA-supported
modules on conflict sensitivity and peacebuilding concepts. Participants discussed key
conflict drivers, such as ethnicity, discrimination against girls and village-level conflict, and
how such issues could be covered through lesson planning that includes role playing,
storytelling and drawings around peacebuilding themes. The township-level training
continued in January and a total of 2,908 head teachers, including head teachers from
MNEC from 34 target townships, attended. After township-level training, a one-day cluster
level PTA orientation and a three-day SSA/SIP planning process at individual schools
continued in late January 2015. This will be reported in the 2015 Annual Report.
Output 3.3: Teachers and students in NFE life skills classes receive DRR materials.
A total of 1,337 Non-Formal Primary Education (NFPE) and Extended and Continuous
Education and Learning (EXCEL) facilitators received training on the NFPE curriculum and
EXCEL phase 1, 2, and 3 lessons, including common disaster awareness and resilience
education to reduce the risk. The NFPE and EXCEL facilitators then went on to deliver these
lessons to 22,260 out-of-school children, including lessons on disaster awareness and
resilience education to reduce the risk. Six NFPE supplementary reading materials with
social cohesion and peacebuilding themes how to live peacefully in the community,
including when terrible things happen have been developed and field-tested, while another
10 books have been drafted. The influence of these materials on childrens knowledge and
attitudes will be discussed in forthcoming field reports. The MCO will also explore the
possibility of using case studies or Most Significant Change stories to better measure the
outcomes from these materials.
Output 3.4.1: Number of youth volunteers trained to deliver MRE in schools.
Out of the targeted 1000 youth, 113 (64 males and 49 females) youth volunteers were
trained to deliver MRE in schools in 2014. These trainings give youth the skills and
17

opportunities to exercise social responsibility by raising awareness about a significant

security issue in their communities.
Output 3.4.2: Training materials developed and tested for MRE at the school level.
Some 20,000 copies of two storybooks endorsed by the MoE on the risk of landmines and
unexploded ordnances were disseminated in Kachin to schools identified by the Kachin MRE
Working Group, taking into consideration potential returns as well as new displacements.
Books were disseminated along with a half-day induction for teachers to be able to present
the key messages contained. A life skills module on mine risks designed specifically for
adolescents was drafted and will be reviewed by the Child Protection sub-sector group.
Planning and consultation around the MRE initiative is still ongoing, led by the Child
Protection sub-sector group with the support of the EiE sector.
In addition, Danish Church Aid, a UNICEF partner, has designed a life skills module on MRE
specifically for adolescents. This will be reviewed by Child Protection sub-sector members
and tested in 2015.
UNICEF also continued to co-chair the national MREWG along with the Ministry of Social
Welfare Relief and Rehabilitation. The first MREWG retreat was organized in Nay Pyi Taw in
September 2014, and gathered 50 participants from 10 ministries and 24 international NGOs
and faith-based organizations. As a result, a two-year strategic work plan has been designed
around four main topics: (1) inter-agency and inter-ministerial coordination; (2) MRE; (3)
victim assistance; and (4) information management/advocacy. In addition, in 2014, UNICEF
supported the establishment of two state-level MREWGs in Kachin and Kaya, and
encouraged decentralization to facilitate access and work authorization for MREWG
members, as well as to better identify priority needs by local actors and affected populations.
The KAP survey on the impact of landmines and other explosive remnants of war initiated in
2013 in south-east Myanmar (five states and regions of Bago East, Kayah, Kayin, Mon and
Tanintharyi) was finalized in June 2014, and followed by a national stakeholders consultation
through a series of validation meetings with 200 participants providing insightful feedback to
contextualize the KAP survey findings. The KAP was completed along with a separate rapid
assessment in 30 camps for internally displaced persons in Kachin.
Findings from both the KAP and the rapid assessment informed a messaging workshop in
December 2014 intended to support the design of a common MRE toolkit and information
education and communication materials that will be field-tested in 2015. In terms of gender,
the KAP survey showed that a higher percentage of women never received information on
explosive devices (88 per cent women vs. 80 per cent men). One stakeholder explained that
women might think that landmines have nothing to do with themi. Another stakeholder in
Mon state identified the need to educate women on MRE, saying: Women play a key role in
family, so educate them for behaviour change.
For strategic advocacy and outreach, from 31 March to 2 April, the Director of the
Department of Social Welfare and Chair of the MREWG, with support from Danish Church
Aid, was invited to present lessons learned from the MRE KAP survey at the 17th Mine
Action Directors Meeting in Geneva. This was an opportunity to represent activities in
Myanmar on an international scale and to raise the profile of humanitarian mine action in the
country.
The peacebuilding potential of the KAP survey and its subsequent use during messaging
workshops to design MRE materials is quite significant. The fact that the survey was merely
implemented is a laudable success in itself and represents a significant departure from a
18

previous governmental reluctance to discuss the issue of landmines. The KAP survey
provided an objective assessment that clarified that landmines affect both government- and
non-government-controlled areas. Landmines can thus be viewed as connector an issue
that both sides can rally around and jointly try to address. The MREWG provides a forum
where both sides can engage and discuss in a safe space to collaboratively develop MRE
materials better targeted at men, women and children. As stated in the theory of change in
the MRE case study, the MCO hypothesizes that if groups are successful in coming up with
effective solutions to MRE together, they may look to continue to work together on other
issues, such as landmine clearance or victim assistance, or even on broader issues not
directly related to landmines.
Output 3.5: Head teachers and teachers provide conflict-sensitive education services
in line with the UNICEF CFS-Peacebuilding principle.
Training materials for head teachers on CFS SSA/SIP were updated to include conflictsensitivity and peacebuilding components. The materials were composed of two parts: a
facilitator manual and a participant manual (both materials include conflict-sensitivity and
peacebuilding guidelines). These activities related specifically to the printing of materials, not
the trainings themselves. The CFS SSA/SIP training already had existing materials, but this
did not include conflict-sensitivity and peacebuilding principles, which were integrated into
the regular manual and guidelines with PBEA support.
Head teacher training was first conducted at Yangon level, with 12 facilitators and 241
participants, and with manuals provided for all. These 241 head teachers in turn delivered
training at the township level to 2,667 head teachers. In total, 2,908 head teachers
participated in the training. The training will be conducted again in 2015, targeting more than
2,000 head teachers.
4.4.

Global Outcome 4 Increasing access to conflict-sensitive education

Country-level Outcome 4: Improved access to and quality of basic education available

in the regions most affected by conflict.
The activities below were intended to address the identified conflict driver that insufficient
opportunities for marginalized communities to access quality education contributes to
inequality and the potential for conflict.
The activities were designed based on the theory of change that IF we are facilitating
improved and equitable access to quality education services that are conflict-sensitive and
promote social cohesion, especially to the most vulnerable children in the most
disadvantaged areas including those formerly associated with armed groups, THEN the
inequality gap between education recipients will be reduced, children formerly associated
with armed groups will be fully reintegrated, and the potential for conflict will decline.
Indicator
Target
Actual
4.1 Number of children and youth with access to quality basic education
35,000
26,900
services (formal and non-formal education, as well as ECD services) in
conflict-affected regions
4.2 Per cent increase in enrolment rate in target areas
Not est.
0%
Output 4.1: Provision of education materials to all children in conflict-affected areas, and
children from conflict-affected regions have received education materials as a peace
dividend gesture through the Government of Myanmar with the support of UNICEF.
4.1.1. Number of schools receiving adequate materials and teaching
100
48
equipment in conflict-affected communities/states

19

4.1.2. Number of children receiving adequate materials and teaching

10,000
21,200
equipment in conflict-affected communities/states
Out 4.2: Provision of non-formal education and ECD services in needed communities.
4.2.1. Number of children benefiting from non-formal education services
10,000
5,700
provided
4.2.2. Number of children benefiting from ECD services provided
5,000
0
Output 4.3: Some 10,000 children have received bilingual (Myanmar and ethnic languages)
supplementary materials for kindergarten through Grade 2, which were developed to enable
them to acquire basic literacy, numeracy and cognitive skills.
4.3.1. Number of languages with supplementary materials developed,
5
5
printed and distributed
4.3.2. Number of bilingual (Myanmar and ethnic languages) supplementary
9
3
materials for Grade 13 developed
4.3.3. Number of children who have received the bilingual supplementary
10,000
10,000
materials

Output 4.1: Provision of education materials to all children in conflict-affected areas,

and children from conflict-affected regions have received education materials as a
peace dividend gesture through the Government of Myanmar with the support of
UNICEF.
Access to education for internally displaced children remains limited in Rakhine, with only
about 70 per cent of primary school-age children in camps for internally displaced persons
having access to TLSs and the majority of adolescents in such camps missing basic nonformal education opportunities. In Kachin, access to primary (and pre-primary) education is
relatively high, but both in the government-controlled area and the non-governmentcontrolled area (KIO-controlled area), schools hosting internally displaced children are under
pressure due to the high number of displaced children requiring preschool and primary and
secondary education. Post-primary education opportunities also remain scarce, especially in
areas beyond government control, despite the increase of middle school in some
camps/communities for internally displaced persons.
Provision of equitable basic education support (including support to ECD centres in Kachin)
to camps for internally displaced persons is critical in order to reduce inequality gaps and
strengthen educations role as a protective agent to safeguard children. This is especially
true for adolescents who are more likely to engage in risky activities and are at risk for
potential radicalization. Inclusion of non-internally displaced host community and
surrounding community children as targeted beneficiaries is also essential, especially after
the violence in March 2014 against the offices of aid workers and the continued intercommunal tensions in the state.
In Rakhine, approximately 16,000 primary school-age children (7,700 girls) in camps for
internally displaced persons and host communities/surrounding communities in four conflictaffected townships gained access to learning opportunities through the construction and
rehabilitation of TLSs, recruitment and training of volunteer teachers, and establishment of
school committees. About 5,700 adolescents (900 girls) are also being reached through the
provision of non-formal education services, which are based on the community-based
EXCEL programme supported by UNICEF, the MoE and partner NGOs, with focus on
themes such as life skills, safe behaviours, communication, empathy, and coping with stress
and emotions. In 2014, the Child Protection sub-sector group and the EiE sector group
started initiatives to include additional modules to EXCEL training, such as media literacy
and living in harmony, as well as gender-based violence and DRR. These efforts are
ongoing and will continue in 2015. Incorporation of conflict-management contents into the
TLS curriculum is expected to, in the long term, help conflict-affected children build
awareness of the importance of living in harmony, and facilitate dialogue and interaction with
different communities.
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In Kachin, about 4,700 primary school-age children and 300 post-primary-age adolescents in
camps for internally displaced persons and host communities/surrounding communities in
the non-government-controlled areas received educational support through TLS
construction/rehabilitation, recruitment and training of volunteer teachers, provision of
essential learning supplies, and establishment of school committees (2,660 girls), with the
support of UNICEF and implementation partners. In the government-controlled areas of
Kachin, UNICEF also supported the Government in constructing five TLSs for schools
hosting internally displaced children. About 1,600 pre-primary school-age children in the
non-governmental controlled area (NGCA) also benefited from the construction of ECD
centres, recruitment and training of caregivers, and provision of ECD supplies supported by
the PBEA programme.
A total of about 21,500 children in camps for internally displaced persons and host
communities/surrounding communities (16,000 in Rakhine and an additional 5,500 in
Kachin) received learning materials and peace education supplementary materials on coping
mechanisms during crises/emergencies and on DRR.
Six-day intensive trainings were also provided for 504 volunteer teachers in camps for
internally displaced persons in Kachin and Rakhine on the topics of peace education, CFS
and Child Centre Approach teaching methods in an effort to promote peace education and
facilitate community engagement through parent-teacher associations and camp
management committees. This training has been modified into a six-day training programme
using the CFS training model to government teachers. The training was provided in
collaboration with EiE sector partners and state education officials in Rakhine state.
Additional modification is needed, however, for the volunteer teachers who have only
finished middle school or high school, as opposed to government teachers who have
received their bachelors degree in education. Low levels of qualification among volunteer
teachers are largely due to the fact that recruitment took place mostly for those already
within the camps, as well as the fact that ethnic Rakhine government teachers are not willing
to teach in camps for Muslim internally displaced persons.
To ensure conflict sensitivity in all EiE interventions implemented by partners as well as to
increase government leadership and commitments to support internally displaced childrens
education, UNICEF, as a co-lead of the EiE sector, strengthened state coordination
mechanisms and supported capacity-building trainings on the INEE minimum standards and
conflict sensitivity in education for key EiE partners, including state education department
officials in Rakhine. In Kachin, the EiE sector group supported training on INEE and conflict
sensitivity in 2014, which was led by Plan International. To help support quality improvement
of education provided for internally displaced children in NGCA, UNICEF and partners will
continue to help develop the capacity of those local/international NGOs and encourage
participation of state education department and government/education authority officials in
those trainings. In Rakhine, UNICEF, with Save the Children, is currently advocating for
state education department and township education offices to ensure the provision of
textbooks for all, IDP childrens participation in government exams, and encouraging their
participation in joint monitoring and volunteer teacher support. In Kachin, the state-level EiE
coordination mechanism needs to be further strengthened both in government-controlled
areas (GCA) and NGCA, and UNICEF is closely liaising with the state government and KIO
education department regarding activities in GCA and NGCA to ensure coordination.
UNICEF supported the EiE coordination mechanism in collaboration with the state education
department (Kachin and Rakhine states), as well as information management and capacity
building in the form of INEE conflict-sensitivity trainings in Rakhine state and Yangon with
sector partners.

21

To mainstream gender in activities supported by PBEA, special attention was paid to

improve gender balance among volunteer teachers in camps for internally displaced persons
in Kachin and Rakhine. Female-focused awareness sessions to encourage applications to
teacher posts were conducted, and qualified women were given priority in the selection
process. As of now, the gender balance of volunteer teachers in Rakhine is 64 per cent
(male) and 34 per cent (female). In Kachin, the majority of volunteer teachers are female. To
encourage more female participation in school committees, the establishment of separate
groups for men and women is also being considered, and a series of awareness sessions on
gender issues were conducted in camps for internally displaced persons, targeting camp
committee members and community leaders. Issues of gender, as well as psychosocial
support, positive discipline and child rights, are being included in training modules for
volunteer teachers and, as mentioned above, the Child Protection sub-sector and the EIE
sector are currently in the process of customizing EXCEL modules for adolescents, drafting
a module on gender-based violence. Gender-segregated latrines are being constructed as
part of other action to encourage girls participation in education. The construction is still
ongoing, and as of now, 65 gender-segregated latrines have been constructed in Kachin.
The process of constructing 65 additional latrines in TLSs in Rakhine started at the end of
2014, in close consultation with the water and sanitation cluster.
A gender-sensitive approach has been followed throughout the EiE implementation of
conflict management activities, including awareness sessions on gender inequality and
violence, and responding to reports of increased insecurity due to displacement and
overcrowding in camps. To mainstream gender considerations throughout EiE project
implementation, efforts were made to build relationship with community leaders, camp and
village committee members, and community members, both male and female, and to
sensitize them on the importance of girls education and their empowerment. Attention was
also paid to the training of teachers and school community members on gender sensitivity to
ensure establishment of enabling school and classroom environments for both girls and
boys. Gender vulnerabilities in terms of water, sanitation and hygiene were also take into
account for gender-segregated latrines
Output 4.2: Provision of non-formal education and ECD services in needy
communities (ethnic Rakhine, Muslim internally displaced persons in Rakhine state,
and ethnic Kachin)
In total, 684 non-formal education centres have been established during the 20142015
academic year. More than 20,260 out-of-school children (11,000 students between the ages
of 10 and 14 in non-formal primary education classes (41 per cent were female) and 9,200
out-of-school adolescents between the ages of 10 and 17 in EXCEL classes (55 per cent
were female)) participated in the classes at these centres.
Output 4.3: Some 10,000 children have received bilingual (Myanmar and ethnic
languages) supplementary materials for kindergarten through Grade 2, developed to
enable them to acquire basic literacy, numeracy and cognitive skills.
Bilingual early childhood storybooks with peacebuilding and social cohesion-relevant themes
have been developed in six ethnic languages and will be field-tested in early 2015. The
provision of bilingual learning materials is a significant achievement and demonstrates a real
change in previous practice.
Specifically, 22,600 total sets of six childrens storybooks were printed in five ethnic
languages: Kachin, Karen, Mon, Paoh and Shan. An additional 89,600 sets of posters have
also been developed in those same languages. In 2013, the MCO field-tested 16 books on
peacebuilding (covering themes such as living in harmony, celebrating diversity, sharing and
caring), which were further edited and improved throughout 2014.
22

The MCO also delivered a six-day workshop on the development of a peacebuilding module
for parenting education, organized by its partner, the Myanmar Baptist Convention. Some 62
(58 women and 4 men) trainers from ECD partner organizations participated and helped to
field-test the materials. The materials will be used in parenting education activities to help
parents nurture the key principles of peacebuilding: embracing diversity, living in harmony,
sharing and caring, trust-building and conflict management, among others, which will be
implemented by ECD partners in collaboration and coordination with the Myanmar Baptist
Convention.
4.5.

Global Outcome 5 Generating evidence and knowledge

Country-level Outcome 5: Adequate generation and use of evidence and knowledge in

policies and programming on linkages between education, conflict and peacebuilding
in Myanmar.
The activities and their intended results were intended to address the identified conflict driver
that it is difficult to plan and measure the impact of peacebuilding initiatives, or to identify
gaps that contribute to conflict and violence without clear information, data and research.
The activities were designed based on the theory of change that IF UNICEF collects
evidence on good practices and quality programming, and base its programs on findings of
participatory conflict analysis, THEN UNICEF programmes are better prepared to support
social cohesion and peacebuilding.
Indicator
Target
Actual
5. The Education Section's programme design is adjusted for at least three
3
2
state regions (Kachin, Mon and Rakhine) based on survey/study results.
Output 5.1: An education-focused conflict analysis of Rakhine state is completed.
5.1.1. Rakhine state's education-focused conflict analysis report is produced. Yes
Ongoing
Out 5.2: Knowledge gaps are filled through the generation of evidence on inclusive
education with a focus on the role of language in education and social cohesion to support
the development of inclusive education policies.
5.2.1. A Language and Social Cohesion report is produced.
Yes
Ongoing
Output 5.3: Understanding of root causes of the conflicts and the radicalization of youth in
Kachin, Kayin, Mon and Rakhine states is generated through participatory conflict analysis
with adolescents.
5.3.1. Participatory conflict analysis is conducted with youth.
Yes
Ongoing
Output 5.4: Good practices, challenges and bottlenecks in relation to overall PBEA
implementation are identified.
5.4.1. A study is produced on 'good practices' as implemented under the
Yes
Ongoing
PBEA programme in Myanmar.

Output 5.1: An education-focused conflict analysis of Rakhine state is completed.

A consultant has been commissioned to carry out an education-focused conflict analysis in
Rakhine state, and the finalization of the study is scheduled to be completed and released in
2015. The major findings were summarized in Section 3 above and were largely consistent
with other materials reviewed by the MCO.
Output 5.2: Knowledge gaps are filled through the generation of evidence on inclusive
education with a focus on the role of language in education and social cohesion to
support the development of inclusive education policies.
To support the development of education systems that are inclusive of diverse ethnic and
linguistic groups and respond to language as a barrier to education in Myanmar, UNICEF
23

commissioned the University of Melbourne to facilitate the development of national- and

state-level language policies. Led by Professor Jo Lo Bianco, the team has been working at
the national level and with key stakeholders in Mon state, including the MNEC and the Mon
state government, to facilitate the development of state-level language policies. Policy
development began in Mon state and at the national level in April 2014. In May 2014, a
consultation was held in Mawlamyine, resulting in defined activities and objectives for
development of a policy for Mon state. In July 2014, a similar meeting was held in the capital
city of Nay Pyi Taw, which resulted in the development of draft principles and a preamble for
a language policy at the national level.
Output 5.3: Understanding of root causes of the conflicts and the radicalization of
youth in Kachin, Kayin, Mon and Rakhine states is generated through participatory
conflict analysis with adolescents.
An initial Terms of Reference for an institution to carry out a participatory research on conflict
and youth in Kachin was produced in 2014, but will be revised in early 2015. The Terms of
Reference will be revised to include specific questions on gender, gender-based violence
and expressions of negative masculinity how conflict legitimizes the use of violence and
weapons, and how male former combatants may need psychological and social support to
overcome crises in masculinity.
Output 5.4: Good practices, challenges and bottlenecks in relations to overall PBEA
implementation are identified.
The activities under this output will commence in 2015.

5.

Monitoring and Evaluation

A number of important M&E activities took place in 2014. First, the MCO benefited from the
visit of the PBEA M&E Specialist from headquarters and remote support from the regional
office in the development of the 2014 Operational Matrix. The Operational Matrix was a
foundational document for supporting the MCOs M&E activities and outlined key
responsibilities, deliverables and timelines for completing key M&E tasks. Both the
discussion and final product of the Operational Matrix were instrumental in helping the MCO
team articulate their implicit theories of change; identify and revise indicators specific to the
teams identified conflict drivers and theories of change; suggest possible topics for the two
Outcome Case Studies; establish a data collection schedule; and identify linkages between
the PBEA programme and the MCOs multi-year workplan.
Second, regular monitoring by field officers continued throughout 2014. Data were collected
by the field officers and compiled into monthly and quarterly reports submitted to the
Education and Field Operations sections, respectively.
Third, the team completed two Outcome Case Studies, both following a descriptive case
study design. The first case study explored an identified conflict driver of the language used
in education and provided an in-depth account of UNICEFs PBEA-supported state-level
language policy development. The second case study focused on providing a descriptive
and exploratory account of the PBEA-supported MRE efforts in south-east Myanmar. While
the MCO had good monitoring data on the outputs produced by the MRE activity, the case
study helped to capture some of the early outcomes of bringing government and nongovernmental organizations together to discuss the highly sensitive issues of landmines.
These include: (1) a recognition by the joint government and civil society MREWG that
current MRE materials fail to adequately target and effectively communicate to gender- and
age-specific audiences (men, women and children); (2) a shared recognition of the need to
24

increase coordination within the MRE sector; and (3) an appreciation that the implementation
of the survey itself represents a significant achievement and provides a foundation from
which to lobby the Government of Myanmar for further mine education, clearance and victim
assistance activities.
Lastly, the MCO agreed to participate in both the Developmental Evaluation and Research
Consortium activities under Outcome 5 of the global PBEA initiative. The Developmental
Evaluation will focus on tracking key decision points in the PBEA country programmes
implementation, documenting what actions were taken, and the unintended consequences
resulting from each. The evaluation will also provide a key source of information for the
Government of the Netherlands stated priorities of (1) encouraging reflection, analysis and
critical thinking in programme implementation; (2) recognizing and documenting both the
process as well as products of implementation; (3) demonstrating the value added of
working cross-sectorally; and (4) critically examining the conflict drivers, theories of change
and outcome areas identified by PBEA, and assess their appropriateness for the Myanmar
context.
The Developmental Evaluation team has established a Learning Framework that will look to
explore three specific issues: (1) developing a deeper understanding on how the issue of
language affects social cohesion in Mon state; (2) identifying ways in which MRE can
support trust-building between groups and increase individual resilience; and (3)
documenting alternative ways in which the MCO would have designed the overall PBEA
outcomes and underlying theories of change.
Field-level research by the Research Consortium is scheduled to take place in 2015 and will
focus on four areas specific to Mon state in south-east Myanmar: (1) effects of increased
autonomy in education; (2) issues related to language of instruction; (3) issues related to
how history is taught; and (4) educational opportunities available to out-of-school youth. The
research findings will be presented in both a Myanmar-specific country report as well as a
five-country global report. Both reports are expected by December 2015.

6.

Partnerships

Supporting the MoEs efforts to coordinate and align development partner support to the
reform process, UNICEF Myanmar is the co-coordinator of the Joint Education Sector
Working Group (with Australias Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The sector group,
led by the Government of Myanmar and supported by UNICEF and the Department of
Foreign Affairs and Trade, includes key partners such as other donors, civil society
organizations NGOs. In addition, UNICEF and Save the Children co-chair the Thematic
Education Working Group, which consists of only NGOs and focuses on issues of
coordination, emergency preparedness and response, and response to dividends of peace
in sensitive conflict-affected areas. The UNICEF Education Section has also been providing
instrumental, technical and coordination support to the CESR process, and planned to
provide technical support to the NESP, which is in the pipeline to be developed in 2015.
Accordingly, such partnerships have afforded the MCO with a respectable standing that can
be leveraged to generate buy in for the importance of mainstreaming conflict-sensitivity and
peacebuilding/social cohesion principles into Myanmars education system through QBEP
(regular programming), as well as in the EiE sector in the absence of government
intervention in conflict-affected regions.
In addition, through ongoing activities, UNICEF has established strong working relations with
non-state actors and groups, including the MNEC, the Kayin Cultural and Education
Department, the Kayah Cultural and Education Department, the Karuna Myanmar Social
Services (in Kachin) and the Kachin Baptist Convention, all of which were on board to
25

support PBEA activities in 2014 and are working in non-government-controlled areas, also
functioning as coordination NGOs on behalf of non-state actors or non-state armed groups.
Moreover, the Education Section has been managing education resources from a MultiDonor Education Fund, with resources from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade,
the United Kingdoms Department for International Development, the Government of
Denmark, the European Union and the Government of Norway being channelled jointly
through UNICEF. In addition, UNICEF is also managing the United Nations Peacebuilding
Fund. Both of these funding sources are being used to complement PBEA activities, as well
as to integrate conflict sensitivity and the do no harm principle into existing programmes
geographically and in terms of upstream policy engagement and the strengthening of fieldbased education service delivery, particularly in conflict-affected areas.

7.

Programme Management

7.1.

Staffing Changes and Variances in Programme Activities

Due to the integral design of PBEA and QBEP, MCOs Education Section is engaged in
every aspect of both programmes. The core PBEA team, however, consists of four staff
members: one peacebuilding and education consultant, two EiE/Peacebuilding Officers in
the MCO and the Rakhine state field office, and one Developmental Evaluation Specialist
all under the supervision of the MCOs Chief of Education. While the consultant helped to
cover the gaps in staffing during the first half of 2014, the EiE/Peacebuilding Officers have
led and will continue to lead coordination with partners on the EiE front, including integration
of conflict-sensitivity and peacebuilding elements in EiE service deliveries, such as the
establishment of parent-teacher associations and camp management committees in conflictaffected areas. The Departmental Evaluation Specialist, on board since the third quarter of
2014, focuses on progress monitoring and documentation of programme developments and
learning. There is no major variance with the planned programme activities, although the late
start of the PBEA programme overall means that the conclusion of all programme activities
by the end of 2015 may be premature, and an extension of funding, if at all possible, will be
requested for Myanmar.
7.2.

Inter-Sectoral Engagement

Since its inception, the PBEA programme has received support and endorsement from
UNICEF Myanmar senior management, including the Country Representative and the
Deputy Representative. The programme benefited from the Mid-Term Review of the Country
Programme, which prioritized aligning the programme to the current country context,
including conflict-sensitivity and leveraging opportunities for peacebuilding through improved
services for children. Capacity building of a cross-section of staff on risk-informed planning
and conflict sensitivity was undertaken as part of the Mid-Term Review process.
As mentioned in the introduction two examples include: (1) a Concept Note written in
collaboration with Child Protection to provide a set of recommendations for the integration of
conflict-sensitivity and peacebuilding components into the planned commissioning of social
worker training for the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement were developed;
and (2) a similar Concept Note and recommendations were also prepared for the Education
Policy team to support the government policy development initiatives through CESR.
In addition to the PBEA programme, the UNICEF WASH and Nutrition sections are working
on a United Nations Peacebuilding Fund initiative in south-east Kayin state. As part of
knowledge-sharing and to understand context sensitivity, UNICEF established in 2014 a
Peacebuilding Committee composed of eight members: Chief of Field Operations, Chief of
26

Education, Education Officer (equity), Social Policy Specialist, Water and Sanitation Officer,
C4D Officer, Child Protection Officer and Developmental Evaluation Specialist. The
committee also serves to inform the likelihood of risks involved in the Strategic Response
Plan and decision-making process of the UNICEFs senior management team.
Lastly, the INEE-Conflict-Sensitive Education training was also delivered to EiE sector
partners at both the country office and field office levels, including about 40 UNICEF staff.
Participants were taught about do no harm and conflict-sensitive education, and how to
reflect these principles in partnership agreements.

8.

Challenges, Lessons Learned and Unintended Consequences

For ECD, maintaining sustained parental involvement has proven difficult. Parenting
education programmes need significant amount of time from volunteers, as well as the
regular participation of parents. However, although parents do show a strong interest in their
childrens education, the majority of them are poor and need to spend most of their time
earning a living. A final challenge is related to geography, and the team continues to struggle
to reach the most remote areas.
For EiE, the team found a gender imbalance among the members of school committees and
students in Rakhine. Although this is not the case in Kachin, there is a need to raise
awareness on protection against gender-based violence in schools and communities,
especially in non-government-controlled and conflict-affected areas. UNICEF and sector
partners in collaboration with the Protection Working Group, will continue to work on
addressing this issue, and also teacher code of conduct for schools to make schools
inclusive and child friendly. Another challenge centres on the peacebuilding-integrated CFS
training. The announcement by the MoE this year of mandatory national Grade 5 exams
resulted in the majority of teachers deciding to focus on preparing students for this test
instead of participating in the recommended CFS activities for promoting peacebuilding.
Ongoing conflict in Kachin state between government actors and the KIO continues to
hamper activities in the state. Although the delivery of supplementary learning materials to
internally displaced persons and host communities continued, a planned study to examine
the roots of conflict and radicalization in Kachin continues to be postponed until the conflict
diminishes.
In terms of M&E, the relative small size of PBEA investment compared with other funding
mechanisms and the depth of integration in QBEP activities will significantly impact the
ability to attribute any higher-level results to PBEA. In order to mitigate this issue, the MCO
will discuss how to incorporate methodologies more geared towards measuring contribution,
rather than strictly attribution.

9.

Outreach and Communications

Since the topics of peacebuilding and conflict sensitivity continue to be sensitive topics for
the Government of Myanmar, the MCO has deliberately chosen to take a light footprint
approach to publically communicating its activities and, hence, media coverage has been
minimal. One important exception was the launch of the new Sub-Working Group on
Multilingual Education under the ETWG, which represents a significant communication
success. The launch was covered by the MCO communications team, and a blog and video
were produced and shared with relevant development partners and MoE contacts. Additional
information can be found at: <http://unicefmyanmar.blogspot.com/2014/09/language-andeducation-force-for-peace.html>.

27

10.

Resources

Programme resource allocation by year

Category
Total PBEA funds allocated
Total PBEA funds utilized

2012
N/A
N/A

2013
US$ 500,000
US$ 97,930

2014
US$ 2,651,570
US$2,142,418

28