PSB Academy and Chindwin College Myanmar form first joint venture to serve Myanmar’s higher education needs

Chindwin-PSB Institute will offer Engineering and Business degree programmes to Higher Nation Diploma (HND) holders from across Myanmar.

YANGON, MYANMAR - Media OutReach^[1] - 6 July 2018 - PSB Academy, one of Singapore's leading private education institutions, and Chindwin College, a renowned college from Yangon, Myanmar, announced the launch of their joint venture, Chindwin-PSB Institute at an inauguration event this morning.

Chindwin College Chairman Tin Latt (left) and PSB Academy Chairman Viva Sinniah (right) at the inauguration of Chindwin-PSB Institute--Myanmar's first joint venture with a Singapore private education institution. The institutions first collaborated to offer University of Portsmouth Bachelor of Engineering degrees to HND graduates in 2016.

Better together: A transnational platform for higher learning

The partnership brings together two education institutions with a long heritage as institutes for higher education. Chindwin College, established in 2007, was Myanmar's first college to offer Higher National Diplomas to students, and is the only affiliated college with the Myanmar Engineering Society (MES), the leading industry body for engineers in Myanmar

"Chindwin College has been a shining example for higher education in Myanmar, and we respect the number of pathways they've developed for Myanmar's youth over the years, so they can become successful across industries and across borders when they graduate.

"Our joint resources, expertise in the local market, experience in building international networks, and best practices in teaching and learning allow us to become a unique platform for Myanmar students to gain quality higher education.  I look forward to the continual mutual support in forging partnerships with the government, universities and industry so we can continue to offer our distinct brand of industry-ready education, and nurture global graduates that will fuel ASEAN's transformation.," says Viva Sinniah, Chairman, PSB Academy.

"Today we are one step closer to fulfilling our vision: to become a top premium service provider in Myanmar's private higher education space, excelling in delivering globally recognized education. Our public private partnerships, our co-operation & collaboration in academic, commerce and industry have allowed Chindwin to flourish as a reputable education brand that the Myanmar students can depend on, and now partnered with PSB Academy, who have 50 years of developing graduates for the New Economy, I'm certain we are geared for success," says Tin Latt, Chairman, Chindwin College.

Fuelling Myanmar's ambitions in infrastructure development and enterprise

PSB Academy and Chindwin College have collaborated since 2016 to offer Myanmar's HND holders pathways to bachelor degrees in Engineering and Business with the University of Portsmouth, UK, which is recognised with the UK Government's TEF Gold Rating and have earned a place in the UK's top 25 universities, according to the Guardian rankings.  The University will continue to work with Chindwin-PSB Institute to develop more degree specialisations in technology, as well as postgraduate programmes. The institute also plans to expand with another campus in Mandalay.

"We have been able to celebrate the first fruits of this partnership with our pioneering group of about 60 Engineering graduates, who have gone on to find excellent employment including within the Myanmar Engineering Society and global technology companies like Huawei. I am confident that by continuing to provide access to high quality higher education, we will build a strong pipeline of talent that will lead the way in innovation and progress. It is through providing programmes attuned to the needs of both students and employers that we will be investing in the youth of today to become key contributors to the nation's developing infrastructure and flourishing enterprises," Says Graham Galbraith, Vice-Chancellor, University of Portsmouth.

Leading the charge for the new institute is College Director Kan Win Oung, who has held senior management positions in several institutions in tourism and education in Switzerland, Singapore and Myanmar. Prior to assuming this new role, Kan was also a lecturer with Chindwin College for Business Management courses and lectured at vocational courses jointly delivered by UNESCO and Myanmar's Ministry of Education.

"Myanmar is resilient, open to change, and willing to learn -- and these are the attributes that we hope our students will continue to hone. At Chindwin-PSB Institute we hope to encourage optimism in a fast-modernizing Myanmar -- that if students are willing to work through the challenges, they will find opportunities to realise their ambitions.," says Kan.

References

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