IMNA – During a graduation ceremony held in the Thai-Burma border town of Mae Sot, Open Universities Australia’s (OUA) academic coordinator for Burmese programs, U Thein Naing, said they plan to offer a Bachelor’s degree in Education in Thailand-Burma border by 2013.
In her speech to nearly 200 community members and migrant students last Saturday, OUA Scholarships Coordinator S’ra Albion-Lawson stated, “The degrees from OUA are not only providing international professional education for students, but also supporting the building of a nation in Burma.”
At the ceremony, academics from two leading Australian universities, Griffith University and Curtin University, offered bachelor’s degrees, post-graduate certificates and diplomas to four ethnic students from Burma.
Griffith University bestowed a Bachelor’s of Communication in Public Relations and Journalism on Nai Kasauh Mon, a Mon ethnic student and chief editor of the Independent Mon News Agency (IMNA), and a Bachelor’s of Arts in Sociology on ethnic Pa-oh student Khun San K’yaw who works on health education with INGOs.
Curtin University presented a Post-graduate Certificate and Diploma in Public Health to two ethnic Karen students, Saw Nay Htoo and Hsar Ka Paw, who work with the Burma Medical Association (BMA) to provide health counseling for Karen populations.
Also in attendance at the ceremony were Professor Dr. Myo Win, an academic from the Agriculture University in Burma, and Thai officials from the Ministry of Education (MOE).
U Thein Naing explained that the courses allow students with jobs and/or families to study from home, and said bachelor’s degree candidates are required to study 24 different academic subjects as part of their online learning.
He added that the OUA-Burma Project plans to offer Bachelor’s degrees in Education to ethnic students working in the education sector.
OUA provides online study programs to over 55,000 students around the world, and is comprised of eight Australian universities including Curtin University, Griffith University, Macquarie University, Monash University, RMIT University, Swinburne University of Technology, University of South Australia, and Murdoch University.
