Ooredoo, a leading international telecom operator, has announced it will support education in underserved communities across Myanmar through a new “Digital Learning Program.” Under this program, Ooredoo will support monastic education schools, which serve as the primary educational lifeline for underserved communities, in adopting digital learning systems for teaching.
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As the first step of this program, Ooredoo has already rolled out the Digital Learning Program at 11 monastic education schools across 6 regions: Mandalay Region, Magway Region, Ayeyarwady Region, Bago Region, Yangon Region, and Pyinmana. The program aims not only to enhance students’ learning experience but also to make it easier for teachers to teach using modern digital learning methods and platforms.
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Monastic education schools play a vital role in the educational development of underserved communities. Monastic schools have long served as a core pillar of education in Myanmar. Led by monks and nuns, these schools rely on donations to provide free education for children from communities in need of support.
To support the educational and social development of underserved communities across Myanmar, Ooredoo has run its “1 Kyat per Minute” donation program since 2017, under which customers’ calls generate MMK 1 in donations per minute. Through this program, Ooredoo has donated a total of about MMK 1.4 billion, including 42 basic school buildings essential for providing free education to children, along with teaching aids, stationery, and internet connectivity. However, monastic education schools continue to face challenges such as insufficient resources to teach growing numbers of children, a shortage of teachers, and limited technological support. Having identified these challenges, Ooredoo has begun providing support through the Digital Learning Program, in addition to its school infrastructure donations, to enable more effective teaching.
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Mr. Chris Peirce, Acting CEO of Ooredoo Myanmar, said, “At Ooredoo Myanmar, we want to help shape a future where everyone can learn well without facing hardship, and this newly launched Digital Learning Program will help support that by enabling learning through modern digital technology, so people can achieve a better quality of life. Through this initial phase of the program, we aim to enhance the learning experience each year for around 3,000 students, from kindergarten through Grade 12, across 11 monastic education schools nationwide. We’re incredibly proud that Ooredoo Myanmar can support not only the basic infrastructure but also advanced digital education for the educational and social development of these communities.”
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In rolling out the Digital Learning Program, Ooredoo has already installed and donated the digital learning platform along with necessary teaching aids such as TVs, WiFi routers, and internet connectivity. It has also installed and donated batteries and inverters to meet electricity needs during class hours, and donated solar panels in some areas without access to electricity. Beyond installing the donated equipment, Ooredoo Myanmar has also conducted training sessions for teachers so they can use the digital learning platform smoothly and comfortably.
Based on the positive results of this initial program, Ooredoo Myanmar will continue expanding its Digital Learning Program to more underserved areas across the country to further support communities’ quality of life.