1st Anniversary Celebration of Chevening Alumni Association of Myanmar

Chevening Alumni Malaysia (CAM) President Nithi Nesadurai attended the Chevening Alumni Education Conference held at the Parkroyal Hotel in Yangon, Myanmar on Saturday, August 22, 2015. Organised by the Chevening Alumni Association of Myanmar (CAAM), the conference was a celebration of the first anniversary of its creation.

During the opening ceremony which preceded the conference, Nithi, who was invited as a guest of CAAM, spoke on ‘Creating the ASEAN Network of Chevening Alumni’. He used the platform to also reflect on the role CAM had played in facilitating the creation of CAAM, describing it as a privilege. Nithi congratulated CAAM for moving so rapidly within a year and organising such an important conference.

The Education Conference was organised to critique the recently released Education Act and compile the outcomes for submission to the authorities as a policy paper. The precise inputs presented by the four panelists was followed by a fascinating open and frank discussion with the audience of about 60. While the discussion was in Burmese, simultaneous translation into English was provided.

Prior to the conclusion of the conference, Nithi was called upon to share his views on the education system in Malaysia and comment on the discussion. He said there were many similarities in both countries on issues raised by participants, including medium of education. He highlighted the release of the Malaysian Education Blueprint by the Ministry of Education and shared its broad goals.

Following the conference, alumni adjourned to the Ambassador’s Residence for a reception to bid farewell and present certificates to the recipients of the Chevening scholarship for the year 2015/2016. Scholarships for Myanmar had doubled within a year.