Description

Parami University Recommendation for Discretionary Grant of $75,000 to Parami University for its general operation in 2024   Launched in 2017 in Yangon, Burma, under the former name Parami Institute of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Parami University (Parami) is modeled after the American liberal education system, preparing students through a comprehensive curriculum to become critical thinkers and future citizen leaders in a burgeoning economy and nascent democracy. Quickly evolving into an intellectual hub of the city, Parami hosted talks by distinguished guests, including a former director of the IMF, the U.S. and Australian ambassadors, the Economic Advisor to Aung San Suu Kyi, and the Deputy Director of the Central Bank of Myanmar, among others.   Disrupted by the 2021 military coup, Parami had to exit Burma due to diminished access to quality education and institutional autonomy. It was re-established in the U.S. in June 2022 as an online non-profit university with degree-granting authority through its partnership with Bard College. Since then, Parami has enrolled approximately 150 students from various regions in Burma, neighboring countries as well as diaspora and refugee communities globally, offering significant tuition waivers ranging from a 50 percent reduction to full scholarships. For students in Burma and Thailand, Parami provides residential and technological support to ensure accessibility to its online programs.   Parami’s own displacement and resettlement experience underscored the transformative power of education, enabling individuals and societies to achieve self-determination. Luce support would bridge a gap in its 2024 annual operation budget (see expenditure breakdown in attachment), allowing Parami to continue delivering high-quality education to Myanmar students from all walks of life.