Message sent by Chairman of State Administration Council of Republic of Union of Myanmar Prime Minister Senior General Thadoe Maha Thray Sithu Thadoe Thiri Thudhamma Min Aung Hlaing to World Teachers' Day ceremony
(5 October 2023)
Esteemed teachers,
On the occasion of the World Teachers' Day, which falls on 5 October, 2023, I would like to first of all extend my greetings to all teachers that they may enjoy physical and mental well-being.
5 October is the day that honors the auspicious reputation of teachers around the world.
It has been 30 years since World Teachers' Day was held around the world after the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the United Nation Education, Science and Culture Organization (UNESCO) signed the recommendation on the status of teachers on 5 October, 1966. In Myanmar, it has been 22 years since the first World Teachers' Days was organized by the Ministry of Education at the Diamond Jubilee Hall of Yangon University at the national level on 5 October, 2002.
In Myanmar, the tradition of paying respects to teachers by appreciating their gratitude, has been ingrained for eons and is still true the same. As Myanmar people has the characteristic of acquiring wisdom as well as responding to gratitude, teachers have been designated as one of the five universal benefiters by paying respects to them for eons.
Teachers, who have been one of the five universal benefiters, are defined as ones who give guidance and instill wisdom to pupils, by the Concise Myanmar Dictionary. In the Myanmar Culture, there are three kinds of teachers such as those who teach others in person (muta cariya), those who teach others by demonstration (dita cariya) and those who teach others by listening (suta cariya). Teachers instill their pupils with wisdom, skills, ideologies, ingenuity and high moral ground without discrimination.
It seems unlikely to describe the image of teachers, who have to instill wisdom in, admonish, help them learn science, prevent from dangers and send them to appropriate social institutions based on their compassion, sympathy, kindness and willingness to help them. Only when teachers are actually able to instill wisdom and knowledge in their pupils, will they be able to overcome problems and challenges and win victories in their lives.
As teachers are required to enhance their qualifications to do so for their pupils, they will have to study consistently. Innovative concepts and ideologies must be allowed to continue to thrive. The good and bad consequences of pupils rest on the qualification, good intention and sacrifice of teachers.
Only when there are good teachers, will youths who have to shoulder their duties of the future of the country, be able to acquire wisdom and serve the interests of the country and the people energetically and enhance the beauty and image of the country. Only when teachers are able to cultivate their pupils who are better educated than them, will the future of the country and the people be brighter for all, including them.
It is common knowledge that the development of various countries of the world today depends on educational development. Depending on the quality of the country's human resources rather than the size of a country, big or small, the country with a high level of education is more developed.
Teachers have to teach their pupils to be equipped with five strengths:
physicality, mentality, strong character, good relationship and wealth. Pupils also need to be taught to have a sense of responsibility and accountability as well as to be cooperative. As the saying goes “the pupil having a good teacher is the pride of a society”, the pupil of a good teacher will be admired by others.
They have to be nurtured to be able to solve problems, to think, to be creative, and to cultivate nationalism and patriotism.
The role of teachers is key in achieving basic educational goals to ensure that every school-age child completes basic education, at least to accomplish KG+9, to be thought-provoking, intelligent, and complete with the five strengths, to follow the civics the democratic standards and human rights standards, to be broad-minded and collaborative, to live in a practical, peaceful knowledgeable way by understanding differences among individuals or societies and respecting equality.
It is especially necessary to train teachers to qualify not only in the education of their pupils but also in social problems and difficulties on the one hand.
Thus, refresher courses, educational management courses, and educational administration courses are being conducted. It is certain that teachers themselves will be studying and learning every day.
In order to establish a peaceful society, there is a need for a growing number of future generations of young people, complete with the five strengths.
In accord with the motto “Discipline starts from a school” there is a need for good teachers who are educated as well as kind-hearted in order to produce educated young people with good spirit and discipline.
Therefore, in accordance with the 2023 World Teachers' Day theme, "The teachers we need for the education we want: The global imperative to reverse the teacher shortage", we need to work together to have the teachers needed for our educational goals.