There is no free press in Burma, and the few independent publications that comment on social issues are heavily censored. Criticism of the regime or its polices is not tolerated. In this atmosphere, Burma s peoples are neither informed nor educated regarding health matters and have no say in how these problems are addressed. The lack of freedom of expression is even more evident in the educational arena, where army efforts to suppress dissent and even mild criticism of its rule and policies has led to the evisceration of what was once a strong and expanding education system. Nearly all Burma s universities and colleges have been closed since student protests in December 1996 and have been shuttered for other extended periods since 1988.
Most academic curricula are out of date by decades.
Teaching of English in schools was banned by decree from 1966 until 1980. The syllabus for courses at universities must be approved by the military, and all campus activities are very closely monitored by military intelligence. Yet Burmese students who reach university are a lucky elite. On the primary level, only about one-third of the one million children who each year begin their school careers will finish four years of school. Prospects for further education are few.