“Currently, there is no specific law on this. Once there is, we can act accordingly,” said U Nayaka, chair of the Steering Committee for the Third All-Myanmar Monastic Education Conference.

The draft has been amended with suggestions from the monastic education supervisory group and monks from the states and regions, as well as from State level monastic education groups.

Over 1600 monks attended the conference which was being held at the Naung Taung Monastic School, Hopong township in Shan State’s Pa-O self-administrative area from May 20 to 22. The first time the conference was held was in 2014 and the second time was in 2015.

“Monastic education schools will be more sustainable in long term” said Ashin Saryita, assistant head for the Wontar Parla Monastic Education School.

There are currently more than 1500 monastic education schools nationwide. Some 300,000 orphans and underprivileged children receive their education here from nearly 7800 teachers.

The monastic education system was established in 1044 (during the period of Bagan, the first Myanmar nation) and in 1982, the monastic education schools were suspended. They were re-opened in 1992.

Now, monastic education schools are being supported by the Ministry of Education and managed by the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Culture.

During the conference, policy and standardisation, sustainable development, research and development, teaching level and promoting teachers’ qualification, monastic education in ethnic regions and teaching morals were discussed.

Then, Monastic Education Sustainable Association of Myanmar was formed during the conference and the Monastic Education Research Council was also organised under the Monastic Education Sustainable Association of Myanmar.

In addition to the above, monks also requested that monastic education schools be upgraded according to the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Culture’s implementation in collaboration with the Monastic Education Sustainable Association of Myanmar. The association would act as a representative of monastic education schools during national-level education meetings with the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Culture.