The Chin University Students in Rakhine State (CUSR) released a statement on May 9 urging ethnic Chin university students in Arakan State to boycott the education system under military rule and join the civil disobedience movement.

Ma Khin Zin May Than, chair of CUSR, said the group issued the statement to show that they support university teachers and students throughout Myanmar who have joined the civil disobedience movement (CDM).

“There are striking teachers and students across the country. We’ve shown that we stand with them by releasing the statement,” said Ma Khin Zin May Than.

Universities and degree colleges had been suspended since March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but final and master classes have resumed as of May 5 at the instruction of the State Administration Council (SAC), as the military regime self-identifies.

Hundreds of university students have not yet attended class to protest the SAC-run education system.

At Sittwe University, more than 500 of 911 students from final year and master classes have so far attended their classes and more than 350 remain absent, a responsible person at the university told DMG.

A total of 1,683 teachers including professors and associate professors from 15 universities across Myanmar have been temporarily suspended from their duties, 87 of whom are from Sittwe and Taungup universities in Arakan State.