Myanmar gov't, protesting students agree to hold quartet talks on education law amendment

The Myanmar government delegation and the protesting students on Wednesday issued a joint statement, agreeing to hold a quartet talks on amending the parliament- approved National Education Law, official sources confirmed.

The quartet talks, set for Feb. 1, will touch on 11 points raised by student representatives, the statement said.

The students' demand was made during a meeting in Nay Pyi Taw between the government delegation, headed by Minister at the President's Office U Aung Min, and 10 representatives from the student side, the statement said.

The quartet talks will be participated by the government, the parliament, Myanmar National Network for Education Reform (NNER) and the Leading Committee for Students March Protest, it added.

The students will suspend their protest march on the day when the quartet talks start.

On Jan. 21, hundreds of students started their protest march from Mandalay to Yangon. When the march reached the entry gate of Taungtha town on Tuesday, a stand-off took place between the protesting students and the police force stopping the students' march forward.

However, the entry gate of Taungtha was opened by the police force later on the day, allowing them to spend the night in the town after the protesting students agreed to talk with the government as proposed by related education officials.

Students have staged demonstrations since September last year against the national education bill passed by the parliament earlier in July of the year.

The protest has later spread from Dagon University in Yangon region to some other universities in Mandalay and Sagaing regions.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education said it will submit a bill to the ongoing parliament session on amending some points in the National Education Law. Endi