3  ICT for education which may include the above, but starts more firmly from the philosophy that ICT is a tool to support education, typically requiring ICT to be strategically combined into broader approaches). The Status of ICT Education Accessing ICT-focussed higher education, and technical and vocational education and training (TVET), can be challenging for prospective students. There are 25 Computer Universities in Myanmar. To enter the Technical University system in Myanmar, students must achieve a certain level of 10th Grade matriculation exam marks out of a total of 600. According to 2013-2014 University entrance results, the most competitive subject is Medicine. Access is discriminatory, with male students requiring marks of 490 and female students 508 to gain access 190. The Yangon University of Computer Studies also requires comparatively high marks (473) compared to other subject areas, as does Mandalay University of Computer Studies (450), but does not discriminate between sexes. These two Universities offer Masters and PhD courses and are better equipped than the Computer Universities in other parts of the country (which generally require around 365 marks). By comparison, Yangon Institute of Economics requires marks of 383; other disciplines e.g. Chemistry, Physics, History require less. If students do gain access to a Computer University, they can experience further challenges. During a focus group discussion in Mandalay, local stakeholders noted that while there are four Computer Universities in Mandalay Region (two in Mandalay, one in Pyin Oo Lwin, one in Meiktila), the local university system only has enough faculty to adequately staff two. Some professors are forced to split their time between multiple universities, leaving students without support on assignments or projects. Limited human resources, combined with long commutes to universities located outside of the city and a lack of boarding accommodation results in students spending limited time on campus outside of class. Curriculum in the public Technical University is disconnected from the needs of employers in the sector for several reasons. Stakeholders in Yangon and Mandalay have noted that in technical terms, many aspects of the curriculum are “ten years behind”. A well-funded Myanmar start-up based in Yangon noted difficulties hiring recent graduates with any experience developing code in newer programming languages such as Ruby on Rails or hiring a qualified iOS developer who had practical experience applying their knowledge outside of the classroom. In some cases, updated technical training is available through private ICT education offering accredited international courses. But high costs deter the majority of potential more than 2 computers. The initial capital costs of computer installation would likely, in turn, be eclipsed by various recurrent costs (e.g., electricity, maintenance, upgrading/replacement, etc.). 110 PAGE CHAPTER 3: SECTOR-LEVEL IMPACTS