The conflict that has consumed Myanmar for years has now placed an unbearable burden on education. These alarming statistics illustrate the crisis that many schools and educators are navigating. February 1, 2021 – April 30, 2025 During this period, violence continues to have a painful and disproportionate impact on the region. 189 education workers—most of them teachers—have died so far. Furthermore, educational infrastructure has been massively targeted, with 560 bombings of schools and 123 documented acts of arson from March 2022 to September 2023.
Taken together, the statistics told a blatant story. One that has worsened since the military coup of February 2021. Formerly seen as bastions of education and societal development, these educational institutions have now been drawn into the crosshairs of a bigger war. The destruction of schools and universities now amounts to an unbelievable 560 bombings. This shocking figure underscores the violent risk environment that students and educators contend with daily. These attacks not only impede children from getting an education, but put fear in communities that recognize the importance of education.
Additionally, education personnel have been on the receiving end of direct threats themselves, with reports showing that they have been threatened 449 times. This atmosphere of fear and repression is paralyzing many teachers. They can’t effectively do their jobs when they’re not only scared for their safety, but that of their students as well. When schools get shut down or are under siege day in and day out, communities pay the price. The impacts extend well beyond just the teachers in question.
Arson has been a huge factor too in the fate of these structures educational, historic and otherwise. During the same period, 123 educational institutions have been set ablaze, highlighting the vicious targeting of schools. Or these acts can look like violent acts that physically destroy spaces. Just as devastating, they rob the country of hope and possibility that education brings, especially for Myanmar’s youth.
The reported loss of 77 education workers since February 2021 highlights the devastating human cost of this ongoing conflict. We understand that each life lost is an individual tragedy. Beyond that, it represents a loss, in deeper terms, for the community and generations yet to come who rely on the educational instruction and oversight. The deaths of these dedicated professionals reflect the perilous circumstances under which they strive to provide education amid chaos.
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