The Burmese military has always considered university students a threat to their rule, with these students civically engaged during all three military coups – 1962, 1988, and 2021. In Burma, students have been the frontliners against authoritarianism, even under a brief civilian rule between 2010 and 2020. Yun Sun, Co-Director of the East Asia Program, and Kyaw Moe Tun, the founder of Parami University, will discuss Burma’s history of student resistance against military regimes, the military’s reconstruction of higher education to sustain their rule, the critical role of civil society in the coalition against military rule, and how foreign stakeholders should view higher education as an essential component in their strategic engagement.
Featured Speaker
Kyaw Moe Tun, President and Faculty of Mathematics and Science, Parami University
Kyaw Moe Tun did his undergraduate education at Bard College at Simon’s Rock and Oxford University and received his PhD at Yale University. He established the Parami Institute in 2017 and incorporated Parami University as a private, nonprofit online university in 2021 after the coup. As a social entrepreneur with a mission to create the next generation of responsible, competent leaders for Burma, he believes empowering youth is the most rewarding investment to safeguard its sustainable future.
Moderator
Yun Sun, Co-Director and Senior Fellow, East Asia Program