Assessing Curriculum Outcomes in Buddhist Universities of Myanmar: A Survey-Based Study on Buddhist University Students’ Perspectives · SBAM Repository

Title: Assessing Curriculum Outcomes in Buddhist Universities of Myanmar: A Survey-Based Study on Buddhist University Students’ Perspectives
Author: Ashin Puññavaṃsa
Level: MA
Class: MA Research, Sitagu International Buddhist Academy Yangon
Type: Research Paper
Format: PDF
Language: English
Subject: Buddhist Education
Date: 2025
Place: Mandalay
Publisher: Sitagu Buddhist Academy Mandalay
Rights Holder: Sitagu Buddhist Academy Mandalay
Abstract: The significance of 21st Century Buddhist education in Myanmar is an emerging option for the monastic members—the Buddhist university education. The monks who have spent several years in the traditional examination of Dhammācariya continue their academic path by attending the Buddhist University, regardless of whether they have passed it or not. Currently, several universities are emerging and developing their own curricula and teaching styles. These different curricula and teaching styles cause confusion among students when choosing a suitable university for them. Therefore, there is a need to establish a standard set of essential subjects in the curriculum and a uniform teaching style for most universities today. This paper intends to investigate students’ perspectives on the university curriculum by using a survey method that includes questionnaires distributed to two hundred monks and nuns purposefully selected from students attending local Buddhist universities. Moreover, it collects respondents’ answers about the goals and practical impacts of the current education in relation to the curriculum and teaching style. This paper also provides an insightful framework for Buddhist education through the monks’ perspectives.

Keywords: Buddhist education, curriculum, Buddhist universities, students’ perspective, and survey

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