Teacher professional development: Institution-Based Professional Development (IBPD) centre Myanmar

While Myanmar has implemented and completed several important education reforms in recent years, the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) sub-sector continues to face numerous serious challenges in ensuring the equitable and quality training that are demanded by the industry. In response to these challenges, the Department of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (DTVET) is implementing different reforms to strengthen and upgrade vocational teacher training in collaboration with different development partners and international organizations.

One of these response measures is developing a model for decentralizing TVET teacher training at TVET institutions in order to be able to provide professional development [PD] support immediately as well as to maximize efficiency. The DTVET's teacher training institution Technical Promotion Training Centre (TPTC-Baelin) plays a vital role for the professional leaders (PD leaders) in overseeing the PD mechanism and provides technical and operational leadership under the policy guidance of the DTVET. The Institution-Based Professional Development (IBPD) centre is designed to provide soft skills training for TVET teachers and to improve TVET institutions, e.g. capacities to respond to labour market demand. The plan is materializing with the budget support of European Union (EU).

This article examines the teacher professional development programme in Myanmar, including the role of teachers and their professional development requirements, the role and responsibilities of the current training institutions, the role of the IBPD centres and the challenges encountered during the implementation process. This study is based on the analysis of qualitative and quantitative data collected from the schools under the DTVET and the Ministry of Education (MoE). The article concludes that supporting TVET teachers in achieving their professional development goals through higher learning opportunities is of paramount importance and is an aspect of strengthening the vocational teacher training system and the TVET sector for the country.

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