Saemaul training program held for developing countries supported by MOIS
YU International Development and Cooperation Center provides Myanmar Saemaul Central Training Center Instructors’ Training Program
‘Myanmar Saemaul Undong (MSMU)’ expected to spread nationwide and be followed by training for Saemaul instructors
[June 20, 2019]
<Public employee team from Myanmar takes a photo with students from Myanmar studying at YU after completing their Saemaul training completion ceremony>
Foreigners singing the ‘Saemaul Song’ stole the spotlight at the YU Institute for International Development Cooperation on the 18th. The Saemaul Song, which was sung in both Korean and Burmese, was not only welcoming to hear, but quite surprising.
The people that sang this song were public employees of the Myanmar agricultural and livestock ministry who received Saemaul Undong training at YU. They are also Saemaul education instructors of Myanmar as well. They completed a 9-night-10-day training session at YU to participate in a Saemaul education training program for public employees of developing nations sponsored by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety. The YU Institute for International Development Cooperation (Director Park Seung-woo) was consigned two of seven programs sponsored by the MOIS this year.
The public employees who participated in this training received quite a bit of attention as they are instructors of the newly opened Myanmar Saemaul Undong Central Training Center. The government of Myanmar recently established the Saemaul Training Center that aims to foster leaders for rural villages with the support of the Korean government. The official name of this training center is the Agricultural Extension and Rural Development Training Center (AERDTC). This is a training institute under the agriculture and livestock ministry and employees and instructors of this institute are all central government employees of Myanmar. The group of trainees that visited Korea included people who earned their PhDs and master’s degrees in Korea, and others who spoke Korean fluently, thus having a high level of understanding on Saemaul education.
The Myanmar Saemaul Training Center was modeled after the Korea Saemaul Undong Academy. The educational contents and operation methods are almost identical to that of Korea’s Saemaul Training Center. The song sung every morning at the training center was the ‘Saemaul Song’ that was sung in Burmese during the training at YU by the trainees. The government of Myanmar is currently carrying out Saemaul rural development pilot programs for 110 villages around the nation. What was more surprising was that Myanmar had already developed Korea’s Saemaul Undong to fit Myanmar’s environment and has been utilizing it by naming it the ‘Myanmar Saemaul Undong (MSMU)’.
Five public employees of the agricultural bureau of the agricultural and livestock ministry that participated for this training YU are instructors in charge of training at the Myanmar Saemaul Central Training Center (photo on right). They are elite instructors that will spread the Saemaul Undong in Myanmar in the future and Saemaul develop in rural Myanmar. It is expected that invitational training will continue to be offered to instructors of this training center.
YU Professor Choi Wae-chul (Department of Saemaul and International Development) held a special lecture under the theme of ‘Achievements and Success Factors of the Saemaul Undong’ for trainees from Myanmar. He said, “I was very surprised at the sincere and diligent attitude of the instructors participating in the Saemaul training, as well as their deep understanding on practice techniques and evaluation methods.” He also added, “Thanks to the community spirit of Myanmar characterized by dedication and serving, Korea’s Saemaul development experience will be shared quickly and in a more developed fashion in Myanmar.”
On behalf of the trainees Dr. Aye Aye Thwe, who is the training director of the Myanmar AERDTC, stated in the completion ceremony on the 18th, “It is an honor to receive Saemaul education at YU, the world’s greatest education and research institute on the Saemaul Undong.” She added, “We will do our best to foster instructors that will spread the Saemaul Undong across all of Myanmar and act as leaders for the social development of Myanmar.”
