The head of Myanmar’s only private Catholic educational institution has described the graduation of its latest batch of students as “an act of resilience” amid ongoing armed conflict and instability in the country. The students at St. Joseph’s Institute “have persevered in their studies despite the profound challenges facing Myanmar’s education system,” said Joseph Win Hlaing Oo, director of the facility.
Hlaing made his remarks during the fifth graduation ceremony held on Jan. 10, the Vatican’s missionary news service Fides reported on Jan. 12. During the ceremony, 30 students – three graduates and 27 diploma holders – received their certificates.
More than 700 graduates have completed courses at the institute, which was founded in 2015 and is authorized to grant state-recognized degrees. It was officially recognized as a Catholic institution by the Archdiocese of Yangon in 2021. Bishop John Saw Yaw Han of Kengtung, Auxiliary Bishop Noel Saw Naw Aye of Yangon, among others, attended the ceremony.
Hlaing pointed out that insecurity and armed conflict within the nation have had a “drastic impact on both enrollment and the very possibility of continuing studies.” “Some students have had to flee their villages to save their lives; others have died in conflict zones,” Hlaing claimed. He noted that, under normal circumstances and given the institute’s interest, the graduating class could have exceeded 100 students. Nearly five million students have been unable to complete their studies, at all levels of education, between 2021 and 2024, Fides reported.
