Burma’s education system needs to change, said State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi on a visit to Kalay, Sagaing Region this week.

The de-facto head of government spoke to the public at City Hall on Monday following a visit to Chin State.

“The world is changing. Our needs are also changing. We have to set up an education system which is in line with these needs,” she said.

The State Counsellor lamented how for many years, parents only paid attention to children’s exam scores, rather than measuring the knowledge they gained.

“Parents want their children to pass their exams with high scores. Then their children can attend medical school and become medical doctors. They think if they become doctors, they will be so proud and will be able to earn a good income. With this idea, they want to become doctors. But we also need engineers, government staff, schoolteachers, and so on,” she said.

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi urged youth to “open their eyes and ears for more opportunities” and to develop the capacity to handle many other jobs.” The State Counsellor promoted vocational education, telling the public in Kalay that university education and vocational training are equally important, and that her government is doing its best to reduce unemployment.