I commenced my role as a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Postdoctoral Fellow at the Myanmar Studies Center, Palacký University Olomouc, in October 2025, and I will continue in this position until the end of September 2027.
Myanmar is a culturally diverse and politically divided country in Southeast Asia. I come from a small rural village comprising approximately 80 households in Chin State, the least developed and uneducated region, in the country. My educational career commenced as a secondary school teacher in another remote and underdeveloped area, the Naga Self-administered Zone. I embarked on my academic journey in 2013 and obtained a doctoral degree from the University of Hong Kong in 2022. My doctoral research concentrated on the roles of the non-state education sector, specifically examining the normalization of private tutoring, academically referred to as "shadow education," in Myanmar. The study investigated how the matriculation examination and its outcomes are consecrated as a gateway to social recognition in Myanmar society and how the integration of the disciplining discourse of development has increased the demand for private supplementary tutoring. Furthermore, the study also identified corruption risks (e.g. Displacing the schools) and the unequal access to educational opportunities (e.g. Influence of different forms of capital on private supplementary tutoring in Myanmar) in the education system of Myanmar.
As an educator and a member of an ethnic minority from a marginalized community, I have a strong interest in the educational opportunities and rights of children. The COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with the political unrest following the 2021 coup, has significantly disrupted the education of millions of children. Following the coup, over 30% of basic education staff and 69% of university teachers were dismissed due to their participation in the civil disobedience movement. In response, a variety of online and offline educational initiatives, both basic and post-secondary, have emerged to create educational opportunities and pathways for children. However, some entities have attempted to exploit the situation for financial gain or to bolster their political legitimacy. Based on my academic expertise, my research interests concentrate on the "Implications and Prospects of Non-State Post-Secondary Initiatives in Post-2021-Coup."
My project aims to investigate the following:
- The types of non-state post-secondary educational initiatives in post-coup Myanmar,
- The challenges and coping strategies of these initiatives, and
- Their potential implications on educational opportunities and pathways for children, as well as the ongoing conflicts.
By exploring these aspects, the study seeks to develop recommendations to enhance these initiatives for improved educational opportunities and pathways, as well as future national integrity. The findings will also provide evidence-based policy guidance for international and regional stakeholders to effectively engage with these initiatives. The results will be disseminated through webinars, seminars, presentations at Myanmar-related conferences, op-ed publications, and academic publications.
Contact: kamt@upol.cz