International Journal of Social Sciences, Humanities and Communications

AI Readiness and Digital Economy Development in Myanmar: A Strategic Secondary-Data Assessment

Sujie Liu — Sun, 12 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This study assesses Myanmar's preparedness to develop the digital economy with the support of AI in the context of connectivity disparities, weak institutional capabilities and significant inclusion and resilience challenges. A multi-source secondary data evidence base combines evidence on internet disruption from the World Bank, evidence of device access and affordability from the World Bank, the Myanmar Digital Economy Roadmap 2030, and indicators of digital adoption from DataReportal and the Government AI Readiness Index 2025, as measured at the end of 2025. This analysis uses descriptive benchmarking, an ASEAN peer comparison, policy to gap mapping and a qualitative priority matrix, but is not causal in estimating the impact of artificial intelligence on economic growth. At the end of 2025, there were 39.8 million internet users and 72.5% internet penetration rate in Myanmar, while 15.1 million were offline. Mobile connectivity was widespread, with 62.5 million connections and 96.8% of connections being broadband capable. Compared to the previous year, mobile connections decreased 2.0 per cent and there were 62.5 million connections. The country was 173th among 195 governments in terms of AI readiness. Myanmar was at the 173th position of 195 governments in terms of AI readiness. The unweighted mean of the six pillars was 19.12 for it, and 55.48 for the ASEAN peers, with the greatest gaps in the governance and policy capacity pillars. The official roadmap conceptually links with these weaknesses in terms of the infrastructure, government, cyber security, inclusion, skills, innovation and legal framework pillars but outcomes of implementation are not yet provided by the evidence selected. The paper outlines a phased approach with priority actions focused on institutional capacity, trustworthy data systems, skills, resilient infrastructure, targeted sectoral pilots and inclusive scaling. The results reveal that Myanmar has a significant digital access foundation, but development with AI will require a greater emphasis on governance, capacity, continuity, and equitable access to the digital space than connectivity.

The Integration of Intangible Cultural Heritage into Preschool Education Curriculum: Strategies and Practical Approaches

Hongzhou Shen — Sat, 25 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Intangible cultural heritage can enter preschool as living knowledge rather than a decorative theme. The challenge is to keep cultural meaning, community authority and children’s agency intact while linking heritage with ordinary curriculum goals. This paper develops an evidence-informed framework for that task. It combines a structured narrative synthesis of UNESCO guidance, early childhood curriculum research and developmental evidence with a secondary analysis of an open preschool dataset from Fujian Province, China. The dataset does not measure intangible cultural heritage directly. Its family cultural capital, concentration-empathy, peer interaction and executive-function scores are used only as a developmental anchor for processes that heritage-based learning may activate. A record audit found 177 unique child profiles in files presented as 354 rows because the full set had been duplicated once. In models based on the unique profiles, family cultural capital was associated with stronger concentration-empathy (β = 0.296, p < .001), stronger peer interaction ability (β = 0.287, p < .001) and fewer executive-function problems in the total-effect model (β = -0.304, p = .002). Concentration-empathy and peer interaction carried parallel and sequential indirect paths. Drawing on the combined evidence, the paper proposes four modes of integration—content, context, pedagogy and partnership—and a six-stage cycle that begins with community consultation and ends with reflection and return. Practical guidance is provided for stories, music, movement, craft, local ecological knowledge, family participation, assessment and safeguarding. The central argument is simple: heritage becomes educationally meaningful when children use it with people, materials, language and place. It should not be reduced to costumes, isolated festival days or copied products.

Epistemic Authority and Algorithmic Governance: A Comprehensive Analysis of Artificial Intelligence within the Paradigm of Islamic Jurisprudence

Ayesha Taskeen — Sun, 26 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has transformed the legal, financial, educational and governance frameworks across the Muslim community and crucial questions are emerging on its Islamization. In Muslim societies, the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the legal, financial, educational and governance systems has raised several issues about its harmony with Islamic jurisprudence. The study critically explores the notions of AI, based on the principles of usul al-fiqh and Maqasid al-Shariah, from the perspectives of moral responsibility, epistemic authority, and algorithmic governance. It declares that AI is not a conscious being, it does not have a plan (niyyah) and it does not have a responsibility (taklif), and therefore cannot be a religious or legal authority on its own. Rather, AI should be applied as a decision aid and be guided and controlled by trained human operators. The study also examines how AI may be utilized in the realm of Islamic finance, digital family law, individualized Islamic education, and the algorithmic fatwa, highlighting relevant ethical concerns of hallucinating religious content, algorithmic bias, privacy and accountability concerns. It is based on the latest scholarly research and presents a governance system which is Sharia compliant and based on transparency, human control and data integrity and Maqasid based governance. The results highlight the need for responsible and ethical AI use in Muslim societies, emphasizing the importance of maintaining human moral agency while harnessing technological innovation to achieve greater public welfare and justice.