Media And Information: Myanmar Observes Global Media And Information Literacy Week 2019

Myanmar began the Global Media and Information Literacy (MIL) Week 2019 at News and Periodical Enterprise in Yangon on Thursday.

Jointly organized by Ministry of Information, Ministry of Education and Myanmar ICT for Development Organization (MIDO) with the support of UNESCO, this is the second event being held in Myanmar. Union Minister for Information Dr. Pe Myint attended the event and stressed the importance of Media and Information Literacy in Myanmar.

Program Officer, UNESCO Myanmar, Naing Naing Aye said “Nowadays, Media and Information Literacy is very important for everyone. Someone who presumes media must know the access of information and can evaluate, produce and share the information. They also have to apply effectively with code of ethics. We have common frameworks relating with Media and Information Literacy for Myanmar. The frameworks include literacy skills with five main facts which are Media Literacy, Social Media Literacy, Information Literacy, Digital Literacy and News Literacy.”  

Educative talks and discussions were part of the event. This year's theme is "Media and Information Literate Citizens: Informed, Engaged, Empowered." The edition of this year will continue to focus on the cities and citizens in the digital age.

Executive Director, Myanmar ICT for Development Organization, Htike Htike Aung said “Media and Information flows very fast through Social Media like Facebook. Many people should think whether the information is right or wrong by using critical thinking when seeing news on the internet.”

Chairman, Myanmar Press Council, Hanthawaddy Ohn Kyaing said “This kind of event is very important for the public in Myanmar. Media and Information Literacy provides citizens with key competencies for life-long learning, work, and in all aspects of life. Citizens equipped with MIL competencies are informed, engaged and empowered. They are able to understand the dangers of disinformation, hatred and exclusion.”

Executive Director, Myanmar Book Aid and Preservation Foundation, Dr. Thant Thaw Kaung said “Media and Information Literacy is to engage in a digital society; one needs to be able to understand, inquire, create, communicate and think critically. It is important to effectively access, organize, analyze, evaluate, and create messages in a variety of forms.”

The annual Global MIL Week activities and the feature conference are important opportunities for stakeholders globally to review and celebrate the progress achieved towards the process of "MIL for all". Global MIL Week also enables connections and sharing of creative projects, the latest research, new ideas, and information across countries and stakeholders involved in MIL, and in print, screen-based and digital media.