By OLIVER SLOW | FRONTIER
YANGON — Dulwich College International, one of the United Kingdom’s most prestigious independent schools, has announced a partnership with Yoma Strategic Holdings to open two campuses in Yangon.
The schools, to be known collectively as Dulwich College Yangon, are part of a US$30 million agreement with Yoma. Campuses will open at Yoma’s sites at Pun Hlaing, in Hlaing Tharyar Township, and Star City in Thanlyin. Both schools are set to open in the 2017/18 academic year.
“We offer a British independent school style of education, while at the same time recognising the importance of studying Myanmar language and culture,” said Daryl Orchard, founding headmaster of Dulwich College Yangon.
DCI already has campuses in Shanghai, Beijing and Suzhou in China, Seoul in South Korea and Singapore, as well as the original school in London. There are also two Dulwich International High Schools, in Suzhou and Zhuhai, China.
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“We are confident the world-class facilities and Dulwich’s excellent education standard will greatly benefit our community and contribute to developing the leaders in our next generation,” said Melvyn Pun, chief executive officer of Yoma.
The original Dulwich College, located in South London, was founded in 1619 by actor Edward Alleyn.
A 2015 report by UK Trade and Investment, the private sector arm of the British Embassy, said there is high potential for British companies to invest in Myanmar’s education sector, due to a current inadequate supply of quality training, government commitment to reform the sector and a high demand among students for international qualifications.
The report said that, while basic literacy and numeracy is high, at 95 percent, school completion rates are low. The average amount of time spent in the education system is 3.9 years, below the average East Asia and Pacific average of 7.2 years. Only 11 percent of the population enrol in university, the report said.
