Phyo Sandar
Australia Awards Short Courses Alumna

Phyo Sandar has dedicated her career to improving access to education and learning opportunities for children and communities across Myanmar. With a Master of Arts in Library and Information Studies, she works in the education sector as a Library Trainer and Safeguarding Officer, supporting community-based learning initiatives and helping create safe environments where children can learn and grow. Through her work, she recognised that many children – particularly children with disabilities and those from marginalised communities – continue to face barriers to participating fully in educational activities and learning spaces.

Motivated by a desire to create more inclusive opportunities for all learners, Phyo joined the Australia Awards Short Course on Inclusive Education in 2025. She was particularly interested in exploring how libraries could become more than places for books and storytelling, transforming instead into welcoming and inclusive learning environments where every child feels valued and able to participate.

During the course, Phyo gained new perspectives on inclusive education and practical approaches for supporting learners with diverse needs. The experience reinforced the importance of collaboration and provided valuable tools and resources that she could apply directly in her work.

“The course showed me that achieving inclusion requires building networks and working together rather than in isolation. Learning from the professors’ experiences gave me practical ideas that I could adapt and apply in my own workplace,” she reflects.

Upon returning to Myanmar, Phyo translated her learning into action by surveying educators from local communities to better understand the challenges they faced in supporting diverse learners. Using the findings, she designed and delivered tailored training programs that equipped facilitators with practical skills to create more inclusive and supportive learning environments. Feedback showed positive shifts in attitudes and communication styles when engaging with children from different backgrounds and abilities.

One of her key initiatives was developing training on Inclusive Practice in the Library. Through these sessions, facilitators learned how to create safe, welcoming spaces where children of all abilities and backgrounds could participate meaningfully. The training also strengthened facilitators’ understanding of positive communication, safeguarding and inclusive engagement, helping them feel more confident in supporting children with disabilities and other learners who may otherwise be excluded.

To further strengthen these efforts, Phyo introduced discussion and strategy sessions for facilitators, integrating Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles into library activities. These sessions encouraged educators to adapt programs to different learning styles and abilities, ensuring that participation was possible for every child.

Phyo’s efforts have also supported greater inclusion for ethnic minority communities. Recognising the importance of language and cultural identity in learning, she promoted the use of storybooks written in ethnic languages and encouraged facilitators to create environments that reflect and respect the diversity of the communities they serve. These efforts have helped reduce barriers to participation and create more welcoming learning spaces for children from different cultural and linguistic backgrounds.

“By providing materials in their mother tongues, we reduced learning barriers which led to a significant improvement in reading habits among all children.”

The impact has been visible at the community level. Field observations have shown increased participation in library activities, including more parents bringing children with disabilities to learning programs and greater engagement from children from ethnic minority communities.

Today, Phyo’s work is creating positive change at the community level while contributing to a longer-term vision for inclusive education in Myanmar. Through her efforts to strengthen inclusive library practices, she is helping lay the foundation for safe, supportive and accessible learning environments where children with disabilities, those from ethnic minority communities and other marginalised groups can participate, learn and thrive.

For Phyo, the Australia Awards Short Course provided more than professional development; it provided practical tools to create meaningful change. By applying inclusive education principles in her work, she is helping build stronger learning communities and expanding opportunities for children who have too often been left behind.