The Myanmar Investment Commission (MIC) has announced that foreigners can make full capital investment (100% ownership) in private education, with notification 7/2018 issued on April 20th. However the regulatory environment is not yet in place for this, as the TVET and Private Education Laws are still in draft stage. It is also debatable that this is new, as Education was already classed as a promoted sector for investment in 2017.

Notification 7/2018 as issued by the MIC allows foreigners to establish, operate and invest in private schools, including at the basic education, TVET, higher education and subject-specific (e.g. English language training centre) levels.

Investment should be in accordance with Myanmar’s investment law. This requires all foreign investments to receive approval from the MIC, but the process was streamlined and simplified when the current law was introduced in 2016 (source).

Some private schools have already been operating in Myanmar with overseas investment since education was first included in a list of promoted sectors under MIC notification 13/2017 last year. However these announcements may be premature, as the Ministry of Education still needs to finalise TVET and Private Education laws. The MIC notification states that education providers will need to comply with these laws when enacted.

The implication is therefore that education institutions looking to invest in Myanmar can start the process by registering with the MIC, however they need to be prepared to also register/gain approval from the Ministry of Education once the relevant legal framework is in place.

These developments are taking place in the context of the government providing greater access to education and increasing education spending, which currently stands at 8.5 per cent of public spending. The number of private schools operating in Myanmar has been increasing at a rapid rate.

Source: https://www.mmtimes.com/news/myanmar-permits-full-foreign-capital-investments-education-sector.html