RFI_EOI USAID-Burma Higher Education Scholarship Program Activity.pdf

Subject: RFI/EOI-USAID/Burma-HESP

Request for Information (RFI) and Expression of Interest (EOI) on

USAID/Burma Higher Education Scholarship Program Activity

Issuance Date: September 09, 2022

Response Due Date and Time: September 30, 2022, at 17:00 Burma Local Time

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Mission to Burma is in the process of designing a new activity to increase access to inclusive higher education through scholarship opportunities for youth in Burma. Subject to availability of funds, it is anticipated that this activity will be implemented over a period of five years. To that end, USAID is seeking information about the interests and capabilities of potential partners and sector information responding to a set of specific questions in this Request for

Information (RFI) to inform the design.

This is the second higher education RFI that USAID/Burma has issued in recent months. The first RFI, issued on May 9, 2022, was of a general nature, requesting ideas to inform the design of USAID’s overall higher education program. The present RFI is based on feedback received regarding the value of scholarships in preparing Burmese youth for the future, and on USAID’s global experience supporting high quality scholarship programs. The focus of questions in this RFI is specifically on exploring the possibility of placing Burmese youth in regional higher education institutions, and on possibilities for virtual learning opportunities for students that stay in Burma to study at the HE level, as described below.

This RFI/EOI has two sections, and either or both may be responded to. This RFI is issued solely for planning purposes and accepts information from all interested organizations. This is not a solicitation or a call for proposals. Any proposals submitted in response to this request will not be considered.

RFI/EOI Request: Responses to the questions of this RFI are requested to be submitted to USAID via email to burmaoaa@usaid.gov with subject line “RFI/EOI-USAID/Burma Higher Education Scholarship

Program Activity”, by the date and time stated above. USAID welcomes concise and direct responses addressing all, or a subset of the questions, to help best inform USAID’s planning and activity design

USAID will use information provided by respondents to inform planning, discussions with stakeholders, and planned future activity designs. Any information submitted in response to this notice is voluntary. Not responding to this request does not preclude participation in any future solicitation, if any is issued.

Thank you for your interest and engagement in USAID activities.

Sincerely, /s/

Gregory Wang

Agreement Officer

USAID/Burma mailto:burmaoaa@usaid.gov

RFI/EOI-USAID/Burma Higher Education Scholarship Program Activity

ATTACHMENT 1: REQUEST FOR INFORMATION

I. Background:

Higher education context in Burma. In the 2017/2018 academic year, Burma’s higher education (HE) system was serving approximately 853,000 students1. HE has historically been highly centralized in Burma, with little autonomy of higher education institutions (HEIs) in decision-making in the areas of management, academic profile, curriculum, partnerships, and research. Burma’s 174 HEIs are spread across eight ministries, with the Ministry of Education with oversight responsibility over 134 of them. In terms of equity, HE has been an eminently urban phenomenon, with most major HEIs in the Yangon and Mandalay regions.

While female participation has grown faster than that of males in recent years, great inequities remain between rural and urban and in ethnic areas. Higher education quality has also been a major issue.

Current challenges. The COVID-19 pandemic had already had a devastating impact on the education sector in Myanmar prior to the military coup and takeover of government institutions, including the 174 HEIs, in

February 2021. With the exception of a brief reopening of high schools between July and August 2020, public schools and HEIs at all levels were closed for the entire academic year due to COVID-19. Conditions deteriorated further after the military takeover. As early leaders of the Civil Disobedience Movement, thousands of educators were reportedly suspended after going on strike. In May 2021, a reported 19,500 higher education staff and 125,900 basic education teachers were suspended from their duties (estimated to be 55 percent and 31 percent of all staff respectively)2. These conditions have raised serious concerns regarding the structural viability of Burma’s state-run education system and the impact on the rights of children and youth to education in Burma. In the absence of functioning HE services, Burma is at risk of losing the ability to prepare its young people to guide the country’s current and future development. Current major challenges for HE include:

● Access, retention, and completion: HEIs have experienced low enrollment and attendance rates since the military coup and the regime’s takeover of the country’s 174 HEIs, especially in the most conflict-affected communities. This further aggravates the inequitable and low level of participation in the sub-sector due to pre-existing challenges such as limited HE access outside large urban areas, the need for flexible learning modalities, the cost of HE, and the low perceived relevance to the degrees offered vis-à-vis the costs and employment opportunities of graduates.

● Quality: Lack of relevance of curricula and a mismatch between socio-economic needs and skills acquired in HEIs are longstanding challenges. In the wake of the military takeover and public resistance to HEIs managed by the de facto authorities, new HE services have proliferated in

Burma, offering limited online learning HE and vocational education services for Burmese youth.

However, lack of course accreditation and quality assurance remain challenges for such emerging alternatives.

● Equity: Vulnerable groups--including learners with disabilities, internally-displaced learners, learners from rural or conflictive areas, ethnic and linguistic minorities, and women-- face additional barriers and increased security risks when accessing higher education.

Since the military takeover and the ensuing political crisis, the majority of partner engagement with the

Ministry of Education (MoE)/Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST) has been paused. The U.S.

government’s (USG) current policy is one of non-engagement with de facto authorities and governmental institutions; the Higher Education Scholarship Program Activity will only support activities with non-governmental, civil society, and/or other non-state educational entities that are not associated with the

1 USAID/Burma Education and Youth Sector Assessment. July 2020. Data sourced from: CHINLONE. Myanmar’s Higher

Education Reform: Which Way Forward? 2018.

2 https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/more-than-125000-myanmar-teachers-suspended-opposing-coup-2021-05-23/ https://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PA00X7QP.pdf https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/more-than-125000-myanmar-teachers-suspended-opposing-coup-2021-05-23/ current regime. While it is widely recognized that there are increasing needs to support the continuity of learning, the complex political and operational environment characterized by an increased politicization of education and a deteriorated security situation, makes education partners’ interventions extremely challenging. In an effort to continue support to Burma under these post-coup conditions, education sector donors in Burma developed the Myanmar Education Cluster Strategy 2022-2025. The strategy attempts to provide a vehicle for collaboration among education sector partners in Burma.

Alignment with USAID/Burma priorities and the USAID Education Policy. USAID intends to target politically-disempowered, socially-excluded, geographically-isolated, and economically-marginalized populations in all of its programming in Burma. USAID will implement a conflict-sensitive approach, working in conjunction with Do-No-Harm principles1 to integrate ongoing and rapid conflict assessments to inform implementation approaches and to mitigate, rather than exacerbate, potential conflicts and build resilience within communities and the country. The new Higher Education Scholarship Program Activity will align with the USAID Education Policy, particularly the following priorities: “Children and youth, particularly the most marginalized and vulnerable, have increased access to education that is safe, relevant, and promotes social well-being” and “Youth gain the skills they need to lead productive lives, gain employment, and positively contribute to society”. The definitions below are provided to ensure clarity and a common understanding of USAID’s use of higher education (HE) terminology3:

Higher Education: The OECD and the World Bank have adopted “tertiary education” to emphasize the inclusion of a range of both university and non-university institutions (teacher training colleges, community colleges, technical institutes, polytechnics, distance learning programs, and academically-linked research centers) within a diversified post-secondary education system. Higher education does not include youth workforce development activities at the pre-tertiary level.

Higher Education Institutions: A higher education institution is an organization that provides educational opportunities that build on secondary education, providing learning activities in specialized fields. It aims at learning at a high level of complexity and specialization.

Higher/tertiary education includes what is commonly understood as academic education but also includes advanced vocational or professional education. This may include public or private universities, colleges, community colleges, academically affiliated research institutes, and training institutes, including teacher training institutes.

Non-engagement with de facto authorities and governmental institutions will be a decisive factor in determining whether and how USAID can support interventions under the new Higher Education

Scholarship Program Activity.

Relevant USAID/Burma HE programming. USAID/Burma’s HE programming advances USG strategic objectives for peace and reconciliation by educating, equipping, and preparing Burma’s next generation of leaders. Currently, the Lincoln Scholarship Program (LSP) is the Mission’s largest HE activity. Prior to the coup, in late 2019, USAID/Burma launched the LSP, which will support approximately 130 young leaders from Myanmar to pursue master’s degrees in the United States. The scholars are split into five cohorts to begin their U.S. studies in fall 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024. The LSP is designed to equip future leaders of Myanmar with high-quality degrees in areas such as food and nutrition science, agricultural science, natural resources management and environmental studies, business, economics, and finance. The

LSP supports the Mission’s economic growth, health, and natural resources management program as well as the overall USAID objective to support Burma’s journey to self-reliance.

3 USAID Education Policy November 2018 pg.45 https://themimu.info/sites/themimu.info/files/edu_public/Education_Cluster_Strategy_2022-2025.pdf https://www.iie.org/Programs/USAID-Lincoln-Scholarship-Program https://www.usaid.gov/education/policy

II. Activity Concept:

USAID is exploring ways to expand the reach of the LSP by creating a new Higher Education Scholarship

Program Activity (the Activity) that will complement its work. The Activity will sponsor promising young individuals under the age of 40 in associates, bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral degree programs (or similar postgraduate level training) to attend regional or non-state local HEIs, or to pursue other forms of post-secondary certification or credentialing. While the LSP will continue sponsoring students to attend U.S.

universities, the new Activity will create a program to place scholars in quality HEIs closer to home -- in the South and Southeast Asia regions -- that could meet their academic needs. The Activity may also support students who are in Burma or neighboring countries to access educational opportunities via in-person, online, or other formats. The idea is to expand HE opportunities to a larger pool of potential young leaders in Burma, not all of whom are able to participate in the LSP or other international scholarship programs.

USAID is especially interested in learning the capabilities of HEIs in nations bordering Burma, or those within Burma, that have (or could develop) programs in English relevant to the needs of Burmese scholars.

This could facilitate ease of access and travel for participants should there be opportunities to bring scholars together for group activities such as summer workshops or seminars, for example. The Activity, in addition to providing financial support for learners, should also plan to incorporate wrap-around support services for scholarship recipients to be successful in both their academic and personal endeavors. It should also ensure that there is a cohort approach for scholarship students to create networks and bond with other scholarship recipients within the activity timeframe and beyond. The Activity will follow good practices identified in USAID’s Higher Education Scholarships Toolkit.

The Activity will seek to improve the technical competencies and enhance the leadership potential of future leaders in a variety of fields such as agriculture, development, economics, education, health, law, and public policy, among others. Significantly in the health sector, a desired field of study will include health economics, a skillset lacking in Burma yet essential to advance national goals of increasing domestic health financing and reducing household out-of-pocket health spending.

Although scholars would not be attending U.S. universities, USAID would like to explore ways that the

Activity could serve to increase the level of goodwill and understanding of American culture and values among a socially, economically, and ethnically diverse group of young professionals and leaders of Burma.

USAID is especially interested in hearing from respondents to this RFI about ways in which American

HEIs or diaspora groups in America, for example, could play a role in creating rich experiences for scholars to supplement and enhance learning in their degree or non-degree programs. USAID also seeks ideas from respondents as to how non-state private Burmese universities and/or NGOs could contribute to the Activity.

Note - due to the nature of funding, all scholarship recipients must be graduates of secondary school, or its equivalent.

RFI Questions

Respondents are asked to provide input on some or all of the questions below. Responses will help

USAID shape its thinking during its current phase of Activity design and stakeholder consultation.

1. What are the risks associated with provision of higher education scholarships for Burmese students? What promising practices have been used to support HE students to overcome potential risk factors and complete their coursework? How can USAID employ conflict-sensitive, Do-No-

Harm principles to mitigate these risks over the course of implementation?

2. What barriers exist for Burmese students who wish to study outside of the country? What types of support are most essential for Burmese students wishing to study abroad? What types of https://www.edu-links.org/resources/higher-education-scholarships-toolkit programs currently exist to help aspiring scholars overcome these barriers?

3. What higher education institution (HEI) programs in the South and Southeast Asia regions and in

Burma currently exist, or could be adapted, to provide relevant higher education services in

English for Burmese youth for associates, bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral programs or other forms of post-secondary certification for credentialing? USAID would be interested in learning the costs of these programs; the types of student wrap-around support offered; processes for recruitment, application and enrollment; any incentives these HEIs offer in terms of tuition discounting or cost-sharing; and how issues such as lack of student documentation, e.g., birth certificates or academic certifications, are being addressed.

4. What approaches could be used to identify and recruit potential scholars and prepare them for study in regional or local HEI programs?

5. Recognizing the complexity of diversity in Burma, what types of programs aimed at supporting higher education diversity, equity and inclusion currently exist? What types of supplementary training or coursework could bring together youth of different backgrounds and ethnicities, with the goal of advancing understanding of and respect for diversity and inclusion?

6. Burmese youth applying for scholarship programs often require additional support to improve their English language skills. What programs currently exist (or could be developed) to provide such services?

7. How could this Activity increase the level of goodwill and understanding of American culture and values among a socially, economically, and ethnically diverse group of young professionals and leaders of Burma? Specifically, how could American HEIs or diaspora groups in the U.S. play a role in this Activity to create rich experiences for scholars, to supplement and enhance learning in their regional or local HE programs?

8. What possibilities exist for hybrid learning options, e.g., combining on-line courses from U.S. or international universities with in-person coursework at regional or local HEIs or NGOs?

9. What role could private Burmese non-state universities and/or NGOs play in this Activity?

10. What opportunities exist, or could be created, for scholars to “give back” to their communities through service learning, to ensure that skills acquired in degree programs benefit not only individual scholars, but also communities at home? What are the security concerns/risks with scholars returning from abroad? How can we mitigate those risks?

11. Are there other factors, recommendations, or considerations regarding the design or implementation of this Activity that USAID should be aware of?

ATTACHMENT 2: EXPRESSION OF INTEREST

RFI/EOI-USAID/Burma-HESP

GENERAL INFORMATION:

Name of the Organization:

Address:

Unique Entity Identifier:

CONTACT PERSON:

Name, Position, Email:

TYPE OF ORGANIZATION:

Please indicate your organization type:

● US Organization (other than small business)

● Higher Education Institution

● US Small Business

● Public International Organization (e.g. United Nations)

● Non-US Organization

EXPRESSION OF INTEREST:

Please provide brief information that describes your organization’s capability and interest in implementing activities to achieve the objectives of USAID/Burma Higher Education Scholarship Program Activity.

PAST PERFORMANCE:

● Past experience working in this subject area and working with relevant stakeholders.

● Types of relevant activities and programs your organization has experience with.

(Respondents are encouraged to provide hyperlinks to websites, activity documents, and/or evidence-based research and studies regarding the effectiveness of these activities.)

● Duration of past activities and scale of projects/budget

● Information on the populations reached in activities.

End of RFI/EOI – USAID/Burma Higher Education Scholarship Program Activity