Chairman of the State Administration Council Prime Minister Senior General Min Aung Hlaing gave advice to outstanding students for 2023-2024 academic year at a meeting at the Myanmar International Convention Centre-II in Nay Pyi Taw this morning.
Also present at the ceremony were SAC Joint Secretary Lt-Gen Ye Win Oo, council members General Mya Tun Oo, Admiral Tin Aung San, U Wunna Maung Lwin, Porel Aung Thein, Mahn Nyein Maung, Dr Hmu Thang, Dr Ba Shwe, Khun San Lwin, U Shwe Kyein and U Yan Kyaw, union miniters and union-level dignitaries, senior military officers from the Office of the Commander-in-Chief, the Nay Pyi Taw Council Chairman, the commander of Nay Pyi Taw Command, deputy ministers, officials from the Ministry of Education, teachers from basic education schools, outstanding students for 2023-2024 academic year, youth scouts, red cross members, maritime youth trainees and aviation youth trainees.
The Senior General and outstanding students pressed the button to launch the programme “the glitter time of stars” and saluted the State flag by singing the national anthem in chorus. The second part of the ceremony followed. The Senior General and outstanding students watched the video clip “outstanding students reliable for the future State” and song “the outstanding students for the life” presented by artistes from the Fine Arts Department under the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Culture.
In his speech, the Senior General said that those outstanding students are strength of the nation as well as important human resources for the nationbuilding tasks. Capacity of those youths is of great importance for development of the future State and for serving the State duties to keep abreast of other countries. Hence, youths have to learn education in all ways for having capacity in all aspects. The government is enhancing the youth sector for having five kinds of strengths in order to participate in the development undertakings of the State as a main force.
It is necessary to properly teach new generation youths to have access to the developing world with advancement of technologies. Youths must be nurtured for forging exploration, innovation, creation, rational consideration, patriotic spirit and national spirit. Meanwhile, those youths must be trained to follow the laws and take social responsibilities with prestige. All youths including outstanding students have to try hard to be outstanding and sharpening in all aspects in line with the visions of learning education with skillfulness in literature. Only when they have to learn education to preserve cultural heritages, safeguard sovereignty of the State, benefit the society, join the society with good moral and characters and become good citizens of the nation and the world will they build a peaceful society.
In looking back the history, outstanding students were turned out from 1964 to 1988 with holding the celebration of the 25th silver jubilee outstanding student project. It was temporarily halted, and in 2013, the overall outstanding student project was initiated. Again, the outstanding student project resumed in 2018. But, the project was suspended in 2019-2020 academic year due to outbreak of COVID-19. From 2022-2023 FY, the project resumed and now, outstanding students have been turned out in regions and states in 2023-2024 FY.
In 2023-2024 FY, 140 Grade-9 students, 140 Grade-10 students, 137 Grade-11 students and 137 Grade -12 students, totalling 554 were turned out as outstanding students. This academic year, Grade-12 students were chosen as outstanding students due to KG+12 scheme.
In selecting the outstanding students, it is necessary to assess learning subjects as well as health and fitness, morale, discipline, education, and morality of those students. The Senior General took pride for those students in passing the many tests at school, township and district levels for turning out the outstanding students.
It is scheduled for Grade-9 outstanding students to make excursions at ancient cultural heritage zone Bagan, Grade-10 students in Taunggyi of ShanState, Grade-11 students in Ngwehsaung beach of Ayeyawady Region and Grade-12 students at Chaungtha beach respectively. It aims to forge fraternity among the outstanding students, exchange know[1]ledge, accumulate regional knowledge from the camps, understand traditional traditions and adore the State and national.
It is necessary for youths, who have exerted efforts to become outstanding ones through physical and intellectual prowess, to continue to do so. Continued efforts must be made to be valuable youths, who are instilled with good practices of preserving the society and environment in which they live. Youths are urged to continue to make efforts to be model youths, who try for themselves, their society and their country to be good, in accordance with the pledge of school councils that “I will try to improve myself,” “I will try to improve my class,” I will try to improve my school” and I will try to improve my country.”
The aim of nurturing youths who are moral, honest, active and ready to help others and to co-exist peacefully to become citizens instilled with human resources or to be outstanding youths is to enable them to build a better society.
To stand out as a peaceful, prosperous, modern and developed country through a better society, equitable development in various sectors including the economic, social, education and health sectors is essential. Among them, education is important because it is fundamental. Everyone has to go to school from childhood and try to acquire knowledge and wisdom for the future. It is impossible to improve oneself, one’s life, one’s family, one’s surrounding and one’s country and nationals without a sound education foundation. Therefore, it is very important to enable youths to go to school at their school ages in the basic education sector and to complete their education. Responsible officials, parents and teachers are urged to make concerted efforts to prevent youths from dropping out of schools untimely due to various reasons and becoming ill-educated ones without schooling.
During the meeting with outstanding youths, students are urged to maintain their understanding about lessons taught in previous years when they move up to another grade at the end of the academic year. Only when understanding about lessons and knowledge gained in respective academic years are not forgotten and kept in the brain, can progress be made in acquiring wisdom and knowledge. Otherwise, students will move up their grades and get old without appropriate knowledge, ideologies and concepts and parents and teachers are urged to fulfill their needs in cooperation.
Relevant ministries have cooperated for outstanding youths’ pleasant accommodation, food, health, study tours, water and electricity supply, sanitation, safety and convenience along the study trips.
Outstanding youths are urged to travel to relevant assembly and destination camps in line with disciplines, to represent the reputations of one’s schools, townships, regions/states, to study regional knowledge at destination camps, to stay in unity by sharing knowledge and to behave properly in accordance with disciplines under the supervision of teachers. It is reiterated that only then, will the objectives of implementing outstanding youth projects be accomplished. Youths are especially urged to take care of one’s health during the trips and serve the interests of the country after returning home.
Then, the Senior General presented commemorative flags for respective camps to outstanding youths for 2024, who presented commemorative gifts to the Senior General.
Afterward, triple outstanding youth award winner Maung Aung Kaung Pyae from Practising High School in Kamayut Township in Yangon Region spoke words of thanks on behalf of outstanding youth for 2023- 2024 academic year.
Then, performing artists from the Fine Arts Department of the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Culture entertained the attendees with “the Birth of Resources for the Age of Light” and artists from the Fine Arts Department and Myanmar Radio and Television of the Ministry of Information, outstanding youths, members of scouts and the Red Cross Society, marine and aviation youths entertained the attendees with “Capabilities of Youths.”
Afterward, the Senior General and attendees posed for documentary photographs with outstanding youths.
After the ceremony, the Senior General cordially greeted outstanding youths.
Then, the Senior General and party, attendees and outstanding youths attentively viewed the exhibition booths displayed at the ceremony.
Afterward, the Senior General and party enjoyed lunch together with outstanding youths for 2023-2024 academic year and members of scouts, the Red Cross Society and marine and aviation youths.
