After the military regime announced that public schools must reopen next month, no students enrolled for classes in schools in Hakha and Thangtlang towns in Chin State.
A parent in Thangtlang said their school was locked this Monday because no one came to register for classes scheduled to start June 1. There are two high schools, two middle schools and one primary school in town.
“The education level in our country is the lowest among the countries in the region,” a parent from Hakha said. “Our children didn’t go to school last year because of COVID-19. And then the Burma Army overthrew the civilian government, seizing power of the country this year. Of course, we are concerned about the poor education in our country. But on the other hand, we do not accept the military coup and won’t be sending our children to school.”
There are four high schools, four middle schools and at least one primary school in the Chin State capital.
Another parent from Hakha said: “Many teachers joined the Civil Disobedience Movement in Chin State. Under both the NLD and Thein Sein governments, there was already a shortage of teachers. In my opinion, schools won’t be able to operate properly despite the military regime forcing them to open.”
In the rest of Burma, very few students enrolled for the upcoming school year.