Burma's universities open for business but still seeking academic autonomy

By Andy Heath. With the easing of international sanctions, UK universities are re-engaging with Burma at a time when the country's higher education sector finds itself caught between two reviews.
It's lunchtime, but in the offices of the National League for Democracy (NLD), no one is stopping work. As we go up a tight staircase into an office hung with portraits of leader Aung San Suu Kyi and her father General Aung San, activists work energetically around tables strewn with documents and maps. Student volunteers flick between drafting policy papers on antiquated PCs and checking Facebook on their iPhones.
The NLD, Burma's main opposition party, is investing great energy in drafting the country's new higher education bill. It is a political priority for the party and its leader, who has called on international support to rebuild the country's universities.Last week we arrived in Burma for the first UK higher education sector-wide mission since the civilian government was returned last year. Led by the UK Higher Education International Unit and Training Gateway, the mission includes sector organisations and representatives from the Universities of Manchester, Nottingham, Roehampton, UEA and the Institute of Education. Read more...