Chairman of State Administration Council Prime Minister Senior General Min Aung Hlaing Addresses the 3/2022 Meeting of the State Administration Council

The 3/2022 meeting of the State Administration Council (SAC) was held at the meeting hall of the Office of the Chairman of the SAC in Nay Pyi Taw on 29 March and the Chairman of the SAC Prime Minister Senior General Min Aung Hlaing addressed the meeting.

During the meeting, the Chairman of the SAC Prime Minister made opening remarks as follows:

• As regards the health and healthcare sector, the government made efforts to vaccinate 50 percent of the entire population against COVID-19 in 2021. In December 2021, 51 percent of the population was vaccinated against COVID-19. Now, it has reached 70 percent.
• The government has enough stocks of vaccines to meet its 100 percent target of giving jabs two times.
• Regarding the education sector, although the SAC made efforts to reopen the schools on 1 June 2021, the schools were closed again on 8 August because of the third wave. When the schools were reopened on 1 November, of the over 5.3 million students who enrolled, 4,160,000 accounting for more than 78 percent attended classes.
• With respect to education policy, just over 5 million (about 60 percent) of over 9 million students enrolled in 2021-2022 academic year. Of the five million, about four million students did not come to school. Moreover, about 20 percent of the five million students enrolled, did not attend the school and 80 percent of the enrolled students attended the school. Therefore, this is a great danger to our education sector.
• According to the interim census in 2019, a total of 18.263 million people (about 60 percent) among 25.169 million population above 25 have knowledge of middle school education. They are at the middle school level. There are more than two million educated persons and over 500,000 graduates and diploma holders. Some 100,000 people have completed the THS and TVED. Most of them are residing in the states.
•  In urban areas, 78/80 percent of the people are educated whereas rural people account for just 20 percent. So, we cannot ignore that fact that our education must be reformed. We must work by setting an ultimate aim. As the education sector is crucial not only for the development of the nation but for democracy. It is necessary to implement the education policy.
• Regarding university of medicine and technological university education, there were a lot of students who have completed medical science and exceeded the required number of medical staff in the hospitals across the country. However, most of them do not serve for public hospitals. In the coming academic years, Universities of Medicine, Dental Universities and Nursing Institutes will provide training free of charge to the students if they are to serve as service personnel. For those unwilling to serve so, they need to pay the fees as the State deserves.
• With regard to operating the regular tasks during the COVID-19 period, discussions were held with responsible officials to resume tourism activities as usual and permissions have been given to resume international and domestic tourism activities starting from 17 April, the Myanmar New Year Day.
• The courses for final year master’s degrees, doctorate degrees and post-graduate diplomas in universities have been reopened since 5 May last year. Similarly, courses for advanced and distance education were reopened. The remaining courses will be reopened as of the middle of May. The successful reopening of school amounts to one of the achievements of the SAC.
• As for conferring performance medals on those who deserve, coordination was made with relevant ministries to honour people who exerted relentless efforts for the country in terms of political, social, economic, technological and artistic contributions on the Diamond Jubilee Independence Day, which falls in January 2023.
• Concerning the energy policy, as the country is abundant in water resources from which hydropower can be generated, it is necessary to utilize them beneficially to generate electricity. Similarly, there are so many sunny days and regions in the country, it is possible to generate electricity from renewable energy like solar energy.
• There are environmental problems around the world and efforts are being made to establish clean areas. If renewable energy can be utilized, such problems can be overcome while imports of fuel oil from other countries can be reduced.
• Diesel locomotive engines are still used in the railway sector of public transportation and if electric trains can be operated on the railway lines, fuel oil can be saved. Similarly, there are more than one million of vehicles and six million of motorcycles in the country.
•  The transportation sector uses 72 percent of imported fuel oil while the industry sector and the electricity sector use 26 percent and 1 percent of imported fuel oil respectively. If vehicles can be replaced with electric ones, the use of fuel oil can be reduced to a great extent.  It is beneficial for the country if electricity can be utilized for public transportation.
• Regarding the Maha Thingyan issue, only a limited number of permits were allowed last year due to the COVID-19 outbreak and the political situation. Under the current situation, it is planned to allow holding the Maha Thingyan Festival to an extent.

The members of the State Administration Council made the suggestion to prepare good security plans for national stability and peace, make arrangement for the living conditions of education and health staff by the State, conduct educational seminars for public and students to distinguish true and wrong information that is happening in the country today, and permit foreigners to apply for permanent residency (PR) in accordance with the rules and regulations. Then, Vice-Chairman of the SAC Deputy Prime Minister Vice-Senior General Soe Win further discussed the necessary things.

Afterwards, the Chairman of the SAC Prime Minister made final remarks as follows:

• As regards pardons, those who are serving prison sentences because of their terrorist acts will not be granted pardon. It is learnt that some EAOs are involved in the current terrorist acts.
• Our nation-building aim is to build a union based on democracy and a federal system. Only when terrorist organizations can be combatted can a free and fair election be held without coercion and threats. Hence, it is necessary to wipe off the terrorists.
• The government will make efforts to be able to successfully hold elections across the country.

The meeting was attended by Vice-Chairman of the SAC Deputy Prime Minister Vice-Senior General Soe Win, the members of the SAC and officials.

• The government has enough stocks of vaccines to meet its 100 percent target of giving jabs two times.
• If renewable energy can be utilized, such problems can be overcome the environmental problem while imports of fuel oil from other countries can be reduced.
• Diesel locomotive engines are still used in the railway sector of public transportation and if electric trains can be operated on the railway lines, fuel oil can be saved.
• As regards pardons, those who are serving prison sentences because of their terrorist acts will not be granted pardon. It is learnt that some EAOs are involved in the current terrorist acts.
• Our nation-building aim is to build a union based on democracy and a federal system. Only when terrorist organizations can be combatted can a free and fair election be held without coercion and threats. Hence, it is necessary to wipe off the terrorists.