In reformist Myanmar, all agree that rebuilding a decrepit education system is a top priority. To guide the process, UNESCO is working with the Ministry of Education to complete a Comprehensive Education Sector Review. Also underway are three other major audits (which may be one or two too many). If the objective is to deliver meaningful change to a system in desperate need, however, the reality of the digital revolution must be embraced.

As its name suggests, the Khan Academy Burmese Translation Project is seeking to turn English-language materials into useful resources for Myanmar students. Launched in 2006 as a non-profit online education platform, the Khan Academy itself has been outstandingly successful in developing video tutorials first in mathematics and later in a wide range of other subjects. It is now supported by major donors, including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. To date, though, KABT’s work for Myanmar students remains an entirely voluntary effort. Clearly it could achieve so much more if properly funded by donors and carefully integrated into the mainstream education system.

Similarly in the university sector, massive open online courses, the MOOCs that are increasingly talked about, have enormous transformative potential. Yet they scarcely feature on the reform agenda. To be fair, it is still early days for the MOOC. According to Wikipedia, Southeast Asia’s first MOOC was a Taylor’s University course in entrepreneurship offered in Malaysia in March last year. But the demand is already considerable. When a different entrepreneurship MOOC was launched in Indonesia last August (and taught in Bahasa), it attracted an enrolment of more than 20,000. Just two days ago, Thomas L Friedman reported in the New York Times on the first ever MOOC delivered in Arabic. Scheduled for a March 2 launch, it currently has close to 5000 registered students from all over the Middle East.

Fully exploiting digital technology in Myanmar of course will not be easy. Translation or subtitles will often be necessary, and will require donor support. Limited internet access remains a problem. However, Facebook is spreading rapidly, and smartphones are scheduled to reach 80 percent penetration just a couple of years from now. Moreover, tapes always provide a solid alternative. The Teaching Company markets its superb series of Great Courses in a variety of formats: video or audio, discs or digital. Every one of these options should be used as quickly as possible to provide education at all levels in Myanmar.

The point of crossing the digital divide is not to displace indigenous tuition or capacity. Rather, it is to boost it by making the best use of deeply inadequate resources. When tapes and online platforms are used to deliver world-class core teaching, local educators can be deployed to facilitate and support student learning. The digital revolution must animate educational reform in Myanmar.