Myanmar Children Cut Off by School Closures
Recent Developments
01Dec 2024: East Asia Forum reported 245 attacks on schools in 2022–23, 190 schools commandeered by the military, and 174 reports of serious violence against schools recorded by Myanmar Witness as of July 2024.
022024: Myanmar Witness reported the military was involved in 90 of 113 cases in its primary dataset on attacks/violence against schools.
032022 data cited in a Protect Education report: school enrolment had fallen by up to 80% from two years earlier, with 7.8 million children out of school.
Interventions
- The National Unity Government (NUG) and Ethnic Revolutionary Organisations (EROs) are operating thousands of schools in their controlled territories, providing an alternative education system in conflict-affected areas.
- UN and humanitarian actors continue to call for protection of schools and support for learning continuity, including remote and community-based education initiatives.
What Works
- Protecting schools from attack and military use is critical: the evidence shows that violence and occupation of schools are major drivers of dropout, learning loss, and fear among families.
- Community-based and parallel education systems can maintain access in conflict zones when state schools are unsafe or closed; reporting indicates NUG/ERO-run schools are currently the main education providers for many conflict-affected children.
How to Help
- Donate to humanitarian and education organizations working in Myanmar, especially groups supporting displaced children and conflict-affected communities.
- Support organizations focused on safe education, school protection, and local learning programs in Myanmar.
- Advocate for diplomatic and humanitarian measures that protect schools, teachers, and students in Myanmar.
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Verified Organizations
Organizations Helping(5)
LWF supported the project 'Education Assistance to Children in Rakhine State' in Myanmar. Its approach was to provide direct educational assistance to children affected by conflict and disruption, helping restore access to learning for children who were cut off from school. The program was framed as a continuation of donor-backed education support and aimed at children in one of Myanmar’s most affected regions.
In the Horn of Africa, UNICEF responds to crop-failure-driven hunger by treating severe acute malnutrition, scaling emergency nutrition services, and reducing disease risks that worsen child hunger. It procures and delivers Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF), supports safe water and sanitation, and strengthens primary health care and immunization so children can survive and recover during climate-driven food crises.
Sida has supported education access for Rohingya refugee children and youth in Cox’s Bazar through Learning Centers, which function as the only schools in the camps. The program focused on teacher support, coordination with government, and strategic funding to improve access to formal education in a highly constrained displacement setting. This is directly relevant to Myanmar-linked children cut off from school because it supports refugee and displaced children affected by the wider Myanmar crisis.
ECW tackles school closures in crisis contexts by rapidly financing education-in-emergency programs, often through implementing partners such as UNICEF, NGOs, and local organizations. In Myanmar-related crises, ECW’s model is to fund learning access, teacher support, alternative learning modalities, and continuity of education for children affected by conflict and displacement. Its approach is designed for areas where normal schooling is impossible and where quick, flexible financing is needed to prevent long-term learning loss.
