Sinde – A English-Burmese success story

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Almost 40 years ago has been founded in Myanmar, with German assistance, a vocational school, which has survived all political upheavals and turmoil. According to Myanmar-music-lovers “a happy individual”.

Joyful faces, Laughter and plenty of stories to tell. The participants of this year’s meeting of former vocational students from the Industrial Training Center, Sinde (ITC Sinde) have cleaned out Almost all wear traditional longyis for (wrap skirts), which will be supplemented in the case of men of white shirts, the women with colourful blouses. Shortly after ten o’clock in the morning, the facilitator pushes the group together the Alumni on a punctual beginning, although he has understanding for the fact that some of the overwhelmed were old friends after many years again.

The participants of the meeting of the Alumni (about 350 including family members) in the vicinity of Yangon’s famous Shwedagon pagoda to celebrate, in a way, also one of the most successful projects of German development cooperation in Myanmar. Kyaw Lwin, a former teacher and headmaster of Sinde, came in 1977 for a year and a half to Germany, and, among other things, in the vicinity of Mannheim had been trained, said at the Ceremony: “It was and is a wonderful project, which has produced with German assistance, a lot of very well-trained students.” A total of more than 4000 professional students have a degree in Sinde.

Opening ceremony in December 1979

Beginnings of a success story

At the end of 1970 the Minister of education of the socialist government of Burma asked the German Embassy in Yangon, whether with German assistance, a pilot project for vocational education and training on the way. His research had shown that the dual System, with a focus on practical training is the best in the world. The Federal government agreed.

The project was implemented, however, until years later. Under Maung Cho, a in the case of the German company Fritz Werner-trained military, who had taken over in 1975, the newly created Ministry of heavy industry, were implemented the plans into action. As a place for the school he gave it to the 300 km North of Yangon on the Irrawaddy description the Sinde, where a with the help of Fritz Werner built a factory for agricultural machinery.

With the support of German teachers, among 24 Burmese teachers who had gone through such Kyaw Lwin, in part, a training in Germany, taught in the first Year, in the first Year of 108 students in vocational schools. The training lasted for three years.

Aerial view of the ITC Sinde-site. The far right of the image is the adjacent pagoda

Setbacks and new opportunities

“The vocational school has developed slowly and organically”, as the German Myanmar expert Hans-Bernd Zöllner writes in a study on ITC Sinde. By the end of 1985, the German handed the device completely in Burmese responsibility, however, there was still financial support and assistance in the procurement of teaching material. That ended in 1988, abruptly, as the Federal government hired after the takeover of power by the military in the development cooperation.

The school, however, even if the “Golden years” were over. After the training was on two and then eventually reduced to one year. The machines and the training material obsolete apparently. At the end of the training was reduced forced on the theoretical part, on the so far, only a fifth was omitted.

At the same time, however, the military government opened the country to foreign investment and allowed the graduates from Sinde, to go abroad or to not be privately economically active, which was previously not possible. Abroad, many of the Sinde-students unfolded their full Potential, because most of them were overqualified for the domestic labour market.

Until today, the Motto of the school: Skill – Honor – Ability (skill – honor – Can)

A New Beginning

Uphill it went with the school, then again in 2012 after the Handover of government responsibility from the military to a nominally civilian government, and the by-elections, the Aung San Suu Kyi for the first time to the Parliament. After the lifting of the EU sanctions, the ITC was Sinde the first point of contact for the Resumption of the Franco-Burmese cooperation for development. In fact, Germany was the first country in the Western world, which was after the end of sanctions in Myanmar, active, among other things, because of the good Connections to the ITC Sinde.

How sustainable and effective the project until the present time, not only shows the quick resumption of cooperation with Germany, but also the Meeting of the Former. At the Party, donors will be honored in a special way to the organization of the Alumni or through donations earned. The previous life of the entrepreneur and Chairman of the Alumni Association Ye Htoot is a good example of the success of the school.

Ye Htoot (left) in conversation at the Alumni Meet in Yangon

A Career

Ye Htoot belonged to Sinde for the first Year of the ITC. After completing his training, he was accepted in 1982 as a Junior engineer in a state company in Yangon. As of 1988, the socialist Era in Myanmar ended by a popular uprising, joined Ye Htoot the protesters. He co-founded with colleagues a trade Union. After the crushing of the demonstrations by the military in September, the new military regime gave him the choice: Either the Union to give up work and continue employment, or exclusion from the state enterprise. Ye Htoot decided to terminate as many well – trained men and women who had participated in the uprising and to leave the country. Previously, he was but a request from his boss, The state company had the contract to install in several hospitals and technical equipment such as x-ray machines. This was not about politics, but about people. So finished Ye Htoot the order, which took more than a year.

Ye Htoot in Singapore in the mid-1990s

Then Ye Htoot went to Singapore, where he worked for six years and a degree in industrial engineering. After a Station in Thailand, he returned in 1999 to Myanmar, to start his own company. “I wanted to contribute something to the development of my homeland”, says the DW. He founded the Multi Power Engineering Company (MPEC), which specialized in the manufacture of electrical boards, Panels and the electrification of large-scale projects. Starting with seven employees, has MPEC today, there are approximately 120 employees (including 23 former students from Sinde) and is responsible for the electrification of the Coca-Cola factory in Myanmar, and sports stadiums. It is not without Pride that has been produced in accordance with the international quality management standard ISO 9001:2015.

In retrospect, Ye Htoot says: “Everything I have achieved is based, ultimately, on the Sinde.” He highlights in particular the practical training: “There were many who knew more than I, but I was able to apply what they have learned.” It was, so Ye Htoot, until today a big Problem in Myanmar. Many graduates of the technical universities in Myanmar knew a lot, but they could not implement the Knowledge. “Talk is not enough! It is important to practice and gain hands-on experience!”

Vocational students from Sinde in Ye Htoots company

Next Generation

For this reason, Ye Htoots company is now one of the permanent training of the students from Sinde sites. The students, wearing almost the same blue uniforms as 39 years ago, to see with a lot of Confidence in the future, because of the reputation of the vocational school in Myanmar is still outstanding. A student from Shan state stated that they would like to learn after training – preferably in Japan. The spirit of Sinde by seems here that has to do according to Ye much Htoot with curiosity and discipline.

The reasons why the project was, on the contrary to many other international cooperation projects in Myanmar, a long-term success and is, in the view of the publican, of the Sinde explored systematically varied: “For the first been taught to the students to take their lives into their own hands. Motivation is the Key. And then it was the special blend of German Know-how in a fruitful way with Burmese traditions and ideas of the Association.” Publican does not believe that such a thing can be copied. “It was a non-predictable happy individual.”

Ye Htoot, is the special Status It consciously, goodbye to the fact that the vocational school will be celebrating in the coming year, your 40-jähiriges ruby anniversary. It should be a big Celebration and a magazine with many photos and the history of the project. Even if Sinde does not copy, he is confident that the success story continues.

Group photo with students, teachers, trainers and factory owner, Ye Htoot