As an untimely born of Myanmar theological tradition, I received my first two theological certificates in Myanmar. Besides, I spent more than ten years out of my fifteen years of service, in teaching ministry while engaging in some evangelistic and pastoral ministries. In fact, I think that I may not be wrong, even though I dare not to claim that I am the right person, to write this article. In this incomplete discussion, I would like to pinpoint some factors that came into my heart whenever I set my mind on the subject.
We can divide this topic into two major periods: missionary-era and post-missionary-era.
As the Bible claims (cf. Rm. 10:14), no one can create Christianity without missionary. And we must admit that almost all missionary transported pure Christian message along with their own tradition more or less. Anyway, the production of the Bible into pure Burmese language by Rev. Adoniram Judson is a great monument for Myanmar theological education. During this period, theological education was mostly given at mission schools. New converts who would be able to learn were sent to mission schools and educated. In fact, mission schools became major centers for theological as well as secular education. But, when mission schools were outnumbered with outsiders since the main purpose of mission schools is to reach and educate everyone, it is impossible anymore to give special training for religious purpose. Later, missionaries opened special preachers training seminars and that theological education should be specifically emphasized there.
Special preachers' training schools were modified and upgraded to be more formal education system after 1940s when growing mission services demand more native preachers. On the reverse-side, old mission schools were more and more secularized as more effort for theological education was given to this upgraded training schools. In addition, the nationalization of 1963 closed down all mission schools from theological intact and mission schools themselves were totally made secular. Hence, the Church in Myanmar has to give their more effort to former preachers' training schools to keep on theological education alive. But, by that time denominational awareness became strong among Christians thus every denominations raised those handful seminaries not only for theological education but also for denominational propagation. In this way, almost all seminary-education was little by little confined within denominational boundary. Above all, the spiritual lukewarmness of this period led not only the Church but also our seminary-education into cold and icy rationalism. In fact, no youngsters interest in theological education anymore. People even Christian ran after secular education and theological education was thought as a place where black sheep of the family should be trained.
After 1980 there was sign of growing interest in seminary-education. It might not be one of the results other than of revival-movement that had taken place in the Church since decade before. Due to lack of facilities and limited number of seminary in the home-country at that time, many young generations traveled far and near, passing through international boundaries and seeking for further theological education. And new hope for growing theological education was risen as these pilgrim-youngsters came back home. Now, it is said that there are more than 80 new theological schools (from diploma level to master level) in Yangon alone. Indeed, it is worth to count as a great privilege to have such kind of golden opportunity after about 30 years of theological isolation in the land. On the other hand, however, this dynamic growth again is another factor that beeps our hearts with great anxious thoughts about the future of our theological education in Myanmar.
Revision of our curriculum to meet the needs of our present context: As we trace back our history,
we can see that we received our theological education directly from Western world. We are in debt to give our respect and
thank to missionaries. But, we are more in obligation to their unfinished tasks to sharpen them to be a more adaptable and
applicable to our context. And over, our later theological education that the pilgrim-youngsters copied down from their
oversea-study added this unfinished task. As a concluding effect, we were well equipped with Church history of other countries
but we don't have any idea on how Christian mission came to Myanmar soil earlier before 15th century. To emphasize the point,
let me mention an actual incident. On an occasion, a man asked a preacher, "Please, burmanize your preaching next time
(tranlit.:myanmar mu pyiuh ba). I really want to understand your message." We are marching into twenty-first century
with this great-unfinished task that is to revise our old curriculum.
Revision of our curriculum for quality production: As a Bible student as well as a Bible teacher in Myanmar,
let me admit that our seminary-education sometime misses quality-production while trying to maintain our linguistic as well as
academic standard. And we try to broaden the area of the study. But sadly, we are living in a situation where English language
is too limited in public use that becomes the first hindrance for language-proficiency. Therefore, most of our seminary-students
graduated before they can fully comprehend what they had learned as the whole course were given in English with a double broken
English lecture (just like mine). And more, we want our curriculum cover all kinds of subject in hope of conferring higher certificates.
But, the product is just a confusion. To my own experience, many of our seminary-graduates are still confusing Nebuchadnezzar and Nero,
John the Baptist and John the Beloved, Martin Luther and M. Luther King Jr., etc. They received their certificates without clearly knowing
what Hermeneutics is, what the great Reformation is, so on. What a sad situation of our seminary-education system? Therefore, one thing
I want to suggest here is that each seminary should have each own special concentration of study instead of trying to cover all kinds of topics.
And each seminary should try to qualify its own students in that specific field or area. If we do so, it is clear that enrollment leakage
will surely occur. But, it is not the matter. The matter is that whether we produced quality-education or not, and whether our graduates were
well fitted for their specific ministry-concerned or not. Our seminaries should really be professional training ground for workers of the Gospel.
One-time training is not enough for lifetime ministry. We develop ourselves while we're doing things. In fact, we need faculty development program more and more to level up our theological education with the Age of Knowledge and Technology. In my own opinion, we can try it in two ways: higher formal education planning and informal education programs, such as faculty seminar during vacation, faculty retreat once a year, or faculty workshop, etc. In addition, it will be very beneficial in the near future if we can organize faculty fellowship programs, participating by all faculty members from all schools and seminaries, and share together our curriculum, our administrative system, our concentration, so on, on yearly basis.
To my last suggestion, I would like to call our attention to how we can level up our present situation in line with the model-standard as a combine-force in spite of our diversity. Even though we have growing number of seminary in Myanmar, let me confess that almost all seminaries are still under seminary-standard (probably because of many indescribable factors). And, it is not easy to combine all these scattering efforts to make a supper single school since each school has its own distinctiveness and concentration. But, there's another way in which we can combine our effort without compromising our own mission is establishing joint-degree-program. While maintaining our own emphasis, we can join our efforts to produce quality-education after the final year of study at the concerned campus. For instance, if two or three diploma-level-schools make such kind of joint-program, they will be able to offer a quality bachelor-level-program in the next proceeding year. And more, this joint-program will give more relax on our financial struggle.