Parami’s first ICBMS panel brings new perspectives on learning in times of crisis
For the first time, Parami University presented a panel at the 5th International Conference on Burma/Myanmar Studies (ICBMS 5) at Chiang Mai University in August. The panel brought together 10 students, including recent graduates and final-year students, who shared their ongoing projects and arguments for student-generated education and learning for Myanmar youth at large.
Titled “From Rote Instruction to Radical Learning,” the panel featured five student-led presentations examining how education can move beyond rote instruction to create space for local knowledge, inquiry, mentorship, community learning, and social responsibility.
The five presentations explored different approaches to rethinking how and where learning happens:
Local knowledge and ways of living: The The Zuu Zin and Aye Thiri Phyo presented “Tapping into Kawi Knowledge: Kawi Ways of Living,” exploring local artisanal knowledge and how livelihoods are valuable sources of curricula and research.
Learning and social responsibility: Kaung Myat Phyo and Pann Ei Thwel presented “Project Luminary: Learning, Responsibility, and Social Change,” examining how learning extends beyond the classroom when youth grasp civic responsibility and community engagement.
Mentorship and displaced youth: Niang Sian Lawh Lun and Pone Nyet Aung presented “Alternative Pedagogies, Social-Emotional Learning, & Mentorship for Displaced Myanmar Youth: Weaving Well-Mentored Futures of Homegrown Hope,” exploring how serious mentorship is the “glue” that supports alternative pedagogies, learning amidst trauma, and dreams for the future among displaced young people.
From local wisdom to systematic inquiry: Myo Myint Maung Maung and Khin Yadana Kyaw presented “Suee San: Reimagining the Path from Local Wisdom to Systematic Inquiry,” examining how youth can claim ownership of local knowledge when they carry out systematic inquiry and research on the crises they face.
Community learning in times of crisis: Myat Moe Kywe presented “Envisioning Transformative Education in Post-coup Burma through Community Learning Centres (CLCs): Case Study of Padauk Classroom,” highlighting how community-based learning spaces can create educational opportunities for teachers and students alike, amid disruption.
The panel was made possible through the support of Dr. Dan Wessner, Professor in the Division of Social Sciences and Humanities, whose encouragement and mentorship helped introduce Parami students’ work to a wider academic discourse. Convened and chaired by Dr. Dan Wessner, the panel reflected Parami University’s commitment to creating spaces where students can question conventional approaches to education, connect knowledge with lived experiences, and explore how learning can contribute to meaningful social change.
Pone Nyet Aung and Aye Thiri Phyo reflected on the panel's collective argument and invited the audience to share their own critiques and experiences.
“They expressed insightful research on several student-driven projects, conviction that education is Myanmar’s future, and empathy for the rising generation of their country’s youth. Proof positive of their compelling arguments is that the attendees of their panel stayed for 40 minutes after the 90-minute presentation concluded … asking questions, sharing impressions, and exchanging contact information.”— Dr. Dan Wessner, Professor, Division of Social Sciences and Humanities
For the students who participated, the panel was more than an opportunity to present their research. It allowed them to take their learning beyond the classroom, share their ideas with a wider academic community, and engage with different perspectives on the role of education in times of change and crisis.
Niang Sian Lawh Lun, a final-year student and co-author of one of the presentations, reflected on the experience:
“I am deeply grateful to Dr. Dan, who always remembers his students' stories, struggles, and what they are up to. Thank you, Dr. Dan, for inviting me to co-author this paper, guiding our writing and rehearsals, and chairing our panel."Together, our panel of ten Parami students and our professor demonstrated a truth to the ICBMS audience: educational transformation does not need to wait for institutional peace or stability—it is happening right now, even amidst crises."
For students like Khin Yadana Kyaw, this opportunity also reflected the personal significance of continuing an educational journey once interrupted.
She shared: “I’m grateful and motivated to have the opportunity to present our project, with valuable guidance and encouragement from our advisor, Professor Dan. As a student whose education was interrupted in 2021, I feel privileged to have continued my higher education at Parami University. What I value most is that we are not only learning in the classroom; we are also applying what we learn to real-world challenges and our communities.”
This project reflects that experience. Students began with the resources available to them and worked to make a meaningful contribution through the project. The experience demonstrated how commitment, collaboration, and the purposeful use of available resources can contribute to meaningful outcomes.
As undergraduate students presenting alongside Master’s and Ph.D. students, they had a platform to share young people's experiences and perspectives in Myanmar.
Their experience also highlights education as a pathway to learning and change. It shows that learning and community engagement can begin in different circumstances, using available resources and opportunities, while continuing to build knowledge and contribute to communities over time.
By bringing student-led research into an international academic forum, Parami’s first ICBMS panel demonstrated that learning is not confined to the classroom or to stable circumstances. It can also emerge from communities, lived experiences, local knowledge, and the challenges people face—and can become a powerful means of imagining and building a different future.
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