According to an announcement released today by the military council’s Ministry of Education, approximately 400,000 matriculation exam answer sheets were destroyed in a fire at Mandalay University following the Sagaing earthquake on March 28. The affected answer sheets belonged to students from Mandalay Region, Naypyidaw, Sagaing Region, and Kachin State. As a result of this destruction, the military council has announced that affected students must retake their exams starting from June 16.
Dr. Chaw Chaw Sein, Director General of the Department of Myanmar Examinations under the military council’s Ministry of Education, stated that the decision to require students to retake the exam rather than automatically passing everyone was made to preserve their dignity. Additionally, Dr. Khin Thida, Acting Director General of the Department of Educational Research, Planning and Training, emphasized that the re-examination was being conducted for the sake of fairness. The military council plans to establish nearly 200 examination centers to accommodate the more than 63,000 students who will need to retake the exam.
However, parents of students in Mandalay have criticized this decision as inappropriate. They point out that when students first took the exam, they were able to do so with peace of mind as they had not yet experienced the earthquake’s impact. Now, however, many families are dealing with destroyed homes, economic hardships, and the loss of family members due to the earthquake. Parents argue that both students and families face significant challenges in preparing for and retaking the exam under these circumstances. A parent from Maharaungmye Township commented that since the answer sheets were destroyed due to a natural disaster rather than any fault of the students, it would be more appropriate to pass all affected students rather than requiring them to retake the exam during this difficult time when many are still struggling with the earthquake’s aftermath.
