Myanmar leader urges education law rethink in face of protests
22 Jan 2015 11:42 PM GMT
President Thein Sein asked lawmakers to reconsider some sections of the controversial bill, saying amendments would “contribute towards peace and stability, allowing students to pursue their education peacefully”, according to an information ministry statement published in the Global New
Light of Myanmar.
Dozens of young campaigners yesterday began an unauthorised cross-country protest march to the commercial hub Yangon, in a show of defiance by students, who have historically been at the forefront of political activism in the former junta-run nation.
Protesters said the statement -- which suggested adding “inclusive education” to the law without elaborating on who would be affected -- fell short of their demands.
“It’s not enough. We need a genuine way to change,” Phyo Phyo Aung, secretary of the All Burma Federation of Student Unions, said over phone from the central town of Kyaukse as around a hundred protesters made their way south from the second city of Mandalay.
Light of Myanmar.
Dozens of young campaigners yesterday began an unauthorised cross-country protest march to the commercial hub Yangon, in a show of defiance by students, who have historically been at the forefront of political activism in the former junta-run nation.
Protesters said the statement -- which suggested adding “inclusive education” to the law without elaborating on who would be affected -- fell short of their demands.
“It’s not enough. We need a genuine way to change,” Phyo Phyo Aung, secretary of the All Burma Federation of Student Unions, said over phone from the central town of Kyaukse as around a hundred protesters made their way south from the second city of Mandalay.
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