Myanmar (also known as Burma) is located in Southeast Asia. It was a British controlled colony from 1824 to 1948. Myanmar was lumped into the colonization of India along with Bangladesh. This created some strife along the western border with these countries. From 1948-1962 the Union of Burma was an independent republic. This changed on March 2, 1962 when the military took control with a coup d’etat. Under this junta Burma’s education funding averaged 1.3% of total Government spending. This created severe issues in education infrastructure. Today that number has risen steadily since elected governments have taken over, however the hole is so deep that it is a major struggle, especially for remote villages and communities. According to UNESCO, the GDP per capita of Myanmar is $6,174. This does not allow for many families to pay for private education for their children. There are over 135 ethnic groups in Myanmar and their communities are rich in tradition but extremely poor in wealth and education.