Denmark funds Myanmar's education development Phase-2

Denmark and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Friday reached an agreement here on providing Myanmar an initial of 4.5 million U.S. dollars to a new MultiDonor Education Fund (MDEF)-Phase 2 established under UNICEF from 2012 onwards. The agreement was signed shortly after Danish Minister of Development Cooperation Christian Friis Bach arrived in Yangon earlier on the day. Bach told the press that the second-phase MDEF will start in 2012 aimed at addressing the urgent need for sustainable improvement in access, equity, quality and management in Myanmar's basic education sector in order to accelerate progress towards achieving Millennium Development Goal-2 -- "Ensure that, by 2015 children everywhere, girls and boys alike, will be able to complete a full course of primary schooling." Bach disclosed that Demark has worked since 2006 with UNICEF and other donors and the MDEF is to develop access to primary education for the children of Myanmar especially for the most vulnerable children. "Between 2007 and 2010, we work with Australia, Denmark, Norway and European Union and UK. First phase was completed in 2010" -- the UNICEF Representative Ramesh Shrestha said, "for the period 2012 to 2015, we are working with all partners to raise in access of 15 million U.S. dollars for four years which will be invested in improving the quality of education in provisional school supplies, education materials to children in 25 townships, covering about 650,000 primary school children." Bach also met with Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the National League for Democracy (NLD), and civil society in Yangon on the same day. During his four-day trip, Bach will make a field trip to Shan state in a bid to see the first-hand development activities there supported by Denmark and talk to the stakeholders. Bach will also meet government officials in Nay Pyi Taw on the last day of his visit. The Danish government and Danish non-governmental organizations have rendered humanitarian and development assistance to the Myanmar people through decades. Denmark is also a major contributor in fighting poverty and supporter of the democratic development of the country. Denmark is active within the fields of education, health and livelihood, all of which is supported both through multi-donor funds and through bilateral projects with international and local partners, according to the Danish Embassy. The Danish assistance totaled more than 12 million U.S. dollars annually.