The educational rights and development of the next generation are at serious risk from the crises due to COVID-19 and then the 2021 coup according to a World Bank report.
The report indicates that from 2020 -2022, public schools in Myanmar were closed for a total of 532 days, marking the longest among countries in the East Asia and Pacific region. As a result, the majority of children in Myanmar lost over three and a half years of educational opportunities.
This report is based on a telephone survey conducted with 8,500 households across 306 townships in Myanmar was published on October 24th.The report focuses on the state of the education sector in the country.
Following the coup, public schools were directed to reopen in November 2021. However, the report reveals that the Military Council terminated approximately 30 percent of the teaching workforce who had participated in the civil disobedience movement (CDM).
Education Cannot Wait (ECW) also made an announcement at the beginning of this year, stating that the consequences of the armed conflict resulting from the coup have deprived 17 million children in Myanmar of their right to education.
The World Bank reported the enrollment of students aged 6 to 22 in schools including universities, saw a decrease from 69.2 percent in 2017 to 56.8 percent in 2023.
According to the report, the most alarming drop in school enrollment is seen among high school-aged students, with a decline of 17 percent in rural areas and 31 percent in urban areas.
A female teacher involved in the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) who teaches at community-based schools in the conflict-affected Ah Nyar region stated, "In the Ah Nyar region (central Myanmar), which is reachable for me, approximately one in ten children have received limited education and have turned to work outside for their livelihoods. However the majority of students can still be retained through the operation of our community-based schools. When we examine the decline in school attendance in the Ah Nyar region, we find that it is relatively low in the townships which I can access. However, in urban areas, we can see that many students are reluctant to attend schools associated with the Military Council, resulting in a decrease in school attendance."
For the academic year 2023-2024, the Military Council announced on June 2 that there are a total of up to 6.5 million individuals enrolled in basic education schools, private schools, and monastic schools throughout the nation.
The World Bank states that as it cannot gather official data at a national level, it is difficult to obtain an accurate list of student enrollments and accurate educational data.
An individual involved in supporting the education of children displaced by the conflict in Sagaing Region stated, "In some rural areas, neither NUG schools nor Military Council schools are available. Many village children lack access to any educational facilities, leaving them without a school to attend. Unfortunately we are unable to reach all of them. In urban areas, transportation to schools is not convenient. In addition, rural areas have experienced arson attacks and heightened Military Council presence, making it challenging to establish NUG and self-help schools in certain locations. As a result there are many students who cannot access formal education."
On September 9, the Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack (GCPEA) reported that Myanmar ranked among the top countries globally where the education sector faced repeated military attacks from the government. The statement also reported there have been over 500 incidents of schools being targeted as military objectives by both armed groups affiliated with the government and non-state armed groups.
GCPEA's report also revealed that in the past year, more than 6,700 students and teachers were either arrested, injured, or killed.
