The objective of the 11 training sessions, held in various locations at State and Regional levels throughout Myanmar, dubbed “Training for Trainers’” are meant to equip the "master trainers" with the skills needed to teach 7,200 district trainers who will in turn be responsible for training the over 110,000 enumerator and supervisors that will conduct the census. The enumeration training will take place one week prior to the data collection. 

Daniel Msonda, UNFPA Census Expert, expressed satisfaction with the quality of the training, and was optimistic that the Master Trainers will deliver high quality training to the District Trainers. 

“The training has been very participatory and interactive, and the trainees have demonstrated a lot of willingness and enthusiasm to learn and to be part of this important exercise,” said Msonda. “Such high levels of energy will be very important when these Master Trainers are deployed to train and inspire confidence in the District Trainers at the district level.” 

Forty core trainers consisting of State level Immigration Officers and senior Department of Population officials facilitated the training of the Master Trainers or ‘training of trainers”. 

At one of the training venues held in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar’s capital, 39 participants attended the five day training. Of the 39 participants 15 were from Kachin, 12 from Chin and 12 from Nay Pyi Taw. The participants were typically university lecturers and secondary teachers. 

U Thet Oo, a 53 year old Adminstrative Director from the Hakhar Immigration Office, Chin State said that he found the census training to be “very useful”. He also said that he was “very excited” about being part of the upcoming census as it was first time in over thirty years Myanmar last had a population count. 

UNFPA provided technical support for the development of the training curriculum and related training materials, as well as provided funding for the training. UNFPA will also provide funding for the training of District Trainers, Supervisors and Enumerators. Technical assistance from Australia’s Statistics Bureau and India’s Census Bureau spent three weeks revamping the manual to be interactive and give more focus on communications. 

“Learning about the census is very important and today’s training is providing me with the knowledge I that need so that I can train the District trainers,” said Ma Phoo Pwint Wai, a 28 year old Senior Assistant High School Teacher from Outtara Thiri Township, Nay Pyi Taw, who daily oversees the teaching of 280 students. 

The training of 7200 district trainers starts on 10-15 March and the 110,000 Enumerators and Supervisor training begins on 16-22 March in different locations all over Myanmar. The census will take place from 29th March to 10 April 2014.