“I reminded myself that my responsibility was to try my best and apply for scholarships regardless of the final results, as they were out of my control,” Han reflects.

Overcoming challenges in the application process

Applying for the scholarship was particularly challenging due to the unstable internet connection in Rakhine. Han often had to travel to areas with better access, making the process time-consuming and physically demanding. This challenge was even greater because Han has been living with Syringomyelia since childhood, a neurological disorder that affects the muscles in his legs and hands. As a result, he requires extra time to prepare and complete tasks.

“Moving from one place to another was difficult due to my condition, and the lack of infrastructure added even more challenges,” Han shares.

Despite these obstacles, Han remained persistent. He diligently read the Australia Awards Scholarship Handbook, which provided clear guidance and answers to his questions, helping him navigate the application process.

Support from Australia Awards and inclusive preparations

The support Han received from the Australia Awards was exceptional. Before departing for Australia, he attended a pre-departure briefing in Yangon, where accessibility was thoughtfully considered in the Program’s selection of accommodation and the venue for the briefing. His university in Australia also reached out to understand his needs and make arrangements to make sure he had the necessary support.

“Due to the unstable internet, the university’s focal person contacted me via international phone calls to ensure I had everything I needed before traveling. I deeply appreciated this level of care—it made my experience as an Australia Awards scholar both enriching and memorable.”

During his studies in Australia, Han had access to essential tools and resources tailored to his needs. The university provided assistive technologies to support his learning, ensuring full participation in academic activities. Additionally, he received guidance from two mentors—one specialising in disability support and another in academic development.

Australia’s accessible infrastructure greatly supported Han, allowing him to navigate daily life with ease. With well-designed facilities and an inclusive campus, he was able to fully engage in academic as well as social activities. This accessibility enhanced his learning experience and fostered a sense of inclusion and independence, helping him thrive both academically and socially.

Memorable time as an Australia Awards scholar

Beyond academics, Han actively participated in extracurricular activities. One of the highlights of his time in Australia was joining the Lions Club, where he engaged in community volunteer work.

“These activities were inclusive and welcoming, allowing me to engage with the local community despite my disability. I had the opportunity to interact with Australians and learn about their culture—a rare and valuable experience for international students.”

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, Han was unable to travel to other states, but he made the most of his time by exploring different places within his region. These experiences not only broadened his perspective but also strengthened his sense of inclusion and belonging.

Making an impact in Myanmar’s education sector

Since returning to Myanmar in 2020, Han has made significant contributions to the education sector. With a Master of Education (Leadership and Management), the knowledge and skills gained from his studies remain highly relevant to his current role and other activities. He particularly applies educational psychology, curriculum design, and development to the programs he runs for marginalised youth across the country.

In addition to his professional work, Han volunteers in community projects, applying his expertise in educational management and leadership. His contributions have been instrumental in community project management training and developing strategies and plans for educational initiatives. Han remains committed to lifelong learning, continuously expanding his professional knowledge and skills.

“To me, graduation is not the destination—it’s just the beginning. It leads you to new opportunities for growth and further expansion of knowledge.”

Advice for future Australia Awards applicants

Han offers valuable advice to prospective Australia Awards applicants, emphasising preparation, commitment, and resilience. He advises:

• Be well-prepared – Research courses and universities that align with your interests.
• Be committed – Allocate sufficient time to prepare required documents.
• Take initiative – Thoroughly read the Australia Awards Scholarships Handbook and seek guidance when needed.
• Embrace the journey – Understand that this is just the beginning, and there will always be more to learn and experience.

“I encourage applicants to be proactive, seek guidance from mentors or alumni, and utilise personal networks for support. For those with disabilities, it is crucial to allocate extra time and effort for preparation. Most importantly, don’t underestimate yourselves—focus on the application process without worrying excessively about potential challenges.”

 A story of resilience and inspiration

Han Ko Lin’s story is an inspiring example of overcoming adversity and making a meaningful impact. His journey highlights the power of resilience, support, and dedication in achieving one’s goals. His experiences serve as a valuable guide for future Australia Awards applicants, particularly those with disabilities, encouraging them to pursue their dreams with confidence and determination.

Read more about how Australia Awards fosters equal access for people with disability at all stages of a scholarship opportunity.

UNICEF reports that the COVID-19 pandemic and the instability in Myanmar since 2021 have disrupted the learning of almost 12 million children across the nation[i]. In addition, children whose first language is not Burmese face further challenges in accessing education, due to a scarcity of learning materials and centres for learning in their mother tongue. In response, complementary education providers are filling the gap in education access for children across Myanmar.

Soe Naing Oo has a background working in youth education and undertook an Australia Awards Scholarship with the hope that he would “be able to contribute meaningful, directed and original research for language learning and teaching with local organisations in the complementary education sector in Myanmar”. He completed a Master of Modern Languages Education from the University of Melbourne in 2020.

He now works as an Education Technical Lead in the complementary education sector, working with education service providers for marginalised and disadvantaged children across the states and regions of Myanmar. Since mid-2021, Soe Naing Oo has been supporting one of these complementary education providers to strengthen their curriculum and learning assessment system.

“We aim to reflect and learn from current practices implemented across selected complementary education providers, further systematise learning assessment across schools and build the capacity of the teachers,” Soe Naing Oo explains. This work has involved Soe Naing Oo being part of a learning assessment taskforce as a representative of an education technical team, along with teachers, head teachers, education officers and teacher trainers. Taskforce members were trained in formative assessment methods, rubric creation, critical and analytical reading, and paraphrasing and summarising skills.

Soe Naing Oo and his team also implemented pilot testing with lower primary level teachers and conducted introductory training for trainers and trainees (teachers and head teachers). This testing and training helped gather insights about the resources provided for teachers and schools to assess learning creatively and using different methods; the need for clearer guidelines for progress reporting to students, parents and other stakeholders; and the need for improvement in teacher and educator capacity in learning assessment.

Soe Naing Oo reflects that, “Australia Awards has helped me build my skills to be more strategic, proactive, collaborative and professional in my work. It also empowered me to be more responsive to the needs of the community and more effective in engaging with the community.”

In particular, he notes that the diversity, inclusion and transition subject he studied as an Australia Awards scholar helped him to see “which aspects of an education strategy, policy or program would encourage or discourage diversity, promote or undermine inclusion, and support or hinder a positive transition process for the students”.

According to Soe Nain Oo, longer-term investments, continuous systems strengthening, and inclusivity mainstreaming are key to the development and sustainability of complementary education provision in Myanmar.

[i] Source: UNICEF (2022) Statement on access to learning for millions of children in Myanmar, accessed 10 September 2023.

This initiative has been transforming literacy learning spaces in Myanmar by identifying and supporting educators who would most benefit from access to professional development training and networks.

Smart Educators was founded by the four alumni in 2020, who come from diverse geographical locations, religions, and ethnicities, connected by their individual passion and expertise in education. Aye Sandar Chit, Lin Lin Htet Oo, Ei Phyu, and Myat Aye San, are all working as freelance educators.

“This organisation was established with the aim to cultivate quality education in Myanmar by empowering teachers, who are the catalysts for the change.”

[Group photo top, left to right] Aye Sandar Chit, Lin Lin Htet Oo, and Ei Phyu. [Adjacent photo] Myat Aye San. Members of Smart Educators.

In 2021, due to the conflict and COVID-19 pandemic in Myanmar, there was uncertain access to education for children. The majority of students became disconnected from their schooling. As a result, community-based education service providers were progressively widespread around the country. However, the anecdotal observation highlighted that there was limited access to teachers’ professional development, especially for those from rural areas and disadvantaged communities.

This made it difficult for teachers to cope with the challenges faced in their profession. The Australia Awards alumni recognised the need for more holistic and contextualised supports, where teachers could not only receive theoretical inputs but also mentorship.

Smart Educators launched a Teacher Community program in June 2021.

The six-month teacher professional development training was aimed especially at teachers from rural areas and disadvantaged communities. Teacher Community was designed as a one-off education service for educators that offered ways of sharing knowledge, skills, and hands-on experiences, through the invitation of national and international educational experts, weekly seminars, and interactive discussions.

The program’s chief aims were to strengthen the teaching quality of novice through to veteran teachers and to encourage teachers’ practice of ongoing professional learning individually and collectively.

Smart Educators ran a callout on social media. They selected 30 participants from among 100 applicants who were carefully chosen based on teaching background, experience, location, and their needs and expectations. The age range of selected teacher participants was from 18 to 35 years old with a teaching service of at least one year.

The training was designed to cover a broad range of education areas including classroom debate and positive psychology, and to foster inclusive education and social awareness in teachers by covering topics on gender, ethics, rights and discrimination.

The Teacher Community program resulted in the development of a teacher network through which educational knowledge and experiences can continue to be shared between local and international educators.

Smart Educators received positive feedback from the Teacher Community program with a high percentage of participants indicating that their confidence had increased as teachers and that they would like to attend more courses offered.

As an organisation, they have also pursued a five-month research program as a situational analysis of the training offered to support evidence-based grounds for future initiatives.

These four alumnae completed their Australia Awards Scholarship at different universities across Australia. Aye Sandar Chit completed her Master of Education at University of Adelaide, Lin Lin Htet Oo and Myat Aye San studied their Master of Education (Leadership and Management) at Flinders University, and Ei Phyu completed her Master of Arts (Applied Linguistics for Language Teachers) at Monash University. Together, they have collaborated to create a lasting impact in education in Myanmar.

Yi Wai Lyn first became interested in education for people with disability when she was 18. “I started teaching a child with autism and he improved a lot after six months. I began learning about disability so that I could help other children to develop their potential,” she says.

In 2004, Yi Wai Lyn founded LightHouse Learning Centre in Yangon for children with disability, with a focus on children with autism. That year, she went to Singapore for two months to learn about behaviour management and teaching techniques for children with autism.

LightHouse Learning Centre was acknowledged by the Department of Social Welfare in 2006. Since then, Yi Wai Lyn has been invited to give lectures and provide disability inclusion training. Yi Wai Lyn is a trainer for Early Childhood Care Development and is involved in curriculum development. She has also worked as a technical consultant for organisations such as Myanmar Autism Association and the Myanmar Special Education Association.

This dedication to working with children with disability led Yi Wai Lyn to receive an Australia Awards Scholarship in 2014, enabling her to study a Master of Disability Studies at Flinders University in South Australia. “I had heard that Flinders University was popular for its courses in disability studies,” explains Yi Wai Lyn.

Reflecting on her Australia Awards Scholarship experience with pride, Yi Wai Lyn says, “My academic productivity developed, and I had a great opportunity to learn about the cultures of Australians and international students.”

The experience also enabled her to exchange her leadership experiences with other leaders. “Before, I was only thinking about LightHouse. But after my Master’s degree in Australia, I have started thinking about the people with disability in my nation as well,” says Yi Wai Lyn.

“After returning to Myanmar, I became more confident in dealing with disability education and managing networking programs. 

“Most importantly, through my studies I learnt the connection between disability studies and the importance of the country’s policy, rights and ethics.”

Yi Wai Lyn’s Australia Awards experience triggered an ongoing exchange of experiences and knowledge between Myanmar and Australia.

Her professor from Flinders University visited and observed the LightHouse Centre in 2017. After returning to Australia, her professor accepted an Australia Awards Fellowship to implement education programs with Myanmar. This saw Yi Wai Lyn lead a five-week study tour for 14 Myanmar people who work with children with disability to Finders University in 2018.

After that, teams of staff and students from Flinders University visited Myanmar in 2018 and 2019. They conducted workshops and training, gained practical experiences at LightHouse and other organisations in Yangon, Mandalay and Pyin Oo Lwin, and promoted disability inclusion. Yi Wai Lyn connected leaders from Flinders University with those from disability focused organisations in Myanmar.

Unavoidably, in 2020 the COVID-19 pandemic affected Myanmar and caused numerous challenges to people’s lives. In March 2020, Yi Wai Lyn closed LightHouse Learning Centre. Some children who were supported by LightHouse and their parents were struggling with the changes.

“I kept in touch with parents to discuss their children’s behaviour, give homework and hold progressive lessons. Moreover, I provided counselling for parents and gave them advice online,” explains Yi Wai Lyn.

“In August 2020, I launched a six-week online program so that students could continue their learning.”

Yi Wai Lyn is steadfast in her commitment to education for her students. “We cannot stop providing education during this uncertain time, no matter how challenging it is.”

Australia Awards alumna and primary teaching specialist Tin Ma Ma Htet did not want children to be left behind in their learning because of COVID-19. This led her to launch an innovative education program for primary school children – ‘Learning at Home’ – that is accessible to all Myanmar students and their families.

Tin Ma Ma Htet is the founder of Saya Foundation, an organisation that provides technical support and mentoring to educators and schools at individual and whole-school levels. Through Saya Foundation, Tin Ma Ma Htet launched the first Learning at Home program in April 2020. Her team posted daily Learning at Home video lessons for a one-month period, providing opportunities for children to continue their education online.

The first online program was received with enthusiasm and appreciation by parents of primary school-age children. This led Tin Ma Ma Htet to develop three additional programs, with the latest being launched in October 2020.

To produce Learning at Home, Saya Foundation’s team members and external volunteer teachers prepare short video lessons for primary school students. The lessons are accompanied by guidelines for parents and guardians on making adjustments to suit their child’s age and stage of learning. The team publishes two to three videos every weekday on the Sayarma Facebook page.

A unique feature of the program is that parents can use the videos to teach their children at home with minimum support required. Each video lesson requires the child and their parent to submit an activity to review the child’s knowledge.

“The Learning at Home program reaches children and parents across the country,” explains Tin Ma Ma Htet with pride.

“Our lesson videos have received more than 16 million views, and around 100 students have received certificates for completing 75 percent of lessons.”

In addition, so far 699 children, including Myanmar children from Malaysia and Thailand, have participated in the video lessons and 499 have received certificates for completing their lessons.

In support of their mission to make education accessible, Tin Ma Ma Htet and her team have introduced ‘Learning at Home Awards’ to celebrate and encourage devoted supporters of children’s learning. For example, committed parents and teachers are rewarded with ‘Super Phay Phay (dad)’, ‘Super May May (mum)’ and ‘Super Mentor’ awards. People who support children who do not have access to the internet or mobile phones to do the video lessons are eligible to receive an ‘Ambassadors of Learning’ award.

“We now have Ambassadors of Learning in Kayah State, Ayeyarwaddy, Tanintharyi and Sagaing Regions, who we also support with teaching materials and storybooks,” says Tin Ma Ma Htet.

Overall, Tin Ma Ma Htet and her team have prepared close to 200 video lessons for students through the Learning at Home program.

“It demands a lot of work in managing the team, recording the participating students and keeping track of the activities they have submitted,” says Tin Ma Ma Htet.

However, the demanding work not only offers benefits to children and their parents, but also to Myanmar’s teachers.

“This program opens up opportunities for volunteer teachers. Through Learning at Home, passionate teachers have come together as a group, building and expanding their professional network.”

As an Australia Awards scholar, Tin Ma Ma Htet completed a Master of Teaching (Primary) at Australian Catholic University in 2015. Her learning experiences in Australia contributed to her wealth of teaching knowledge in childhood education.

“My scholarship equipped me with relevant knowledge and hands-on experience in teaching primary school children,” she said. “My Master’s degree enhanced my competency of knowledge, skills and self-confidence.”

“My Australia Awards Scholarship has also broadened my professional network,” she continues. “I have connected with scholars and alumni from diverse backgrounds, which can be helpful to implement activities.”

In addition to her work on the Learning at Home online program, Tin Ma Ma Htet provides the Teaching Foundation online course for parents who want to provide homeschooling for their young children during the COVID-19 pandemic, and people who are interested in teaching but have not attended teacher training. The course fees contribute to Saya Foundation’s Whole School Support programs.

She also shares posts about teaching, education or parenting every Saturday and hosts a monthly live discussion with an expert or a group of experts on the Sayarma Facebook page.

Tin Ma Ma Htet’s devotion to creating and sharing accessible education resources is evident throughout her work with school students, their parents and families, and schools and educators.

“My vision for the future is to make quality educational resources accessible to children in Myanmar,” she says. “This includes ensuring that resources are inclusive to all children, such as those from different ethnic backgrounds, religions, and children with disability.”

Han Ko Lin’s determination, experience and existing qualifications in arts, community leadership and social studies prepared him to successfully apply for an Australia Awards Scholarship. He is studying a Master of Education (Leadership and Management) at Flinders University in Adelaide, South Australia.

“My ambition is to provide qualified education access to my community,” he says.

“When I get back to Myanmar, I would like to work in the education sector with children in conflict affected or remote areas.”

In addition, Han Ko Lin is committed to using his skills to develop human resource capabilities in Myanmar’s education sector.

Since childhood, Han Ko Lin has been living with Syringomyelia, a neurological disorder that affects the muscles in his legs and hands. Because of his disability, Han Ko Lin faced numerous barriers to accessing education beyond his final school exams. He persisted, however, and went on to successfully complete tertiary education, embark on his career and gain greater independence.

Before coming to Australia, Han Ko Lin was working as Assistant Director at community-based organisation SKY-Youth Resource Centre, which supports young people to develop skills and gain employment.

Through Australia Awards, Han Ko Lin has received support to ensure he can undertake his study in Australia on an equal basis with others. This has included the provision of assistive equipment, as well as financial and psychological support.

He urges other people with disability to apply for an Australia Awards Scholarship. “I, as a person with disability, would like to encourage other people like me to apply for a scholarship if they are passionate about making a positive change for Myanmar. Please believe in yourself and just do it, because you can do it.”

Read more about how Australia Awards promotes equality and participation for all groups in society.