The Military Council has not been able to resume classes at many schools in Chin State after losing control of large swathes of territory to the resistance forces and new fighting with these groups in other areas.
Only 38 government schools have been opened during the 2024 to 2025 academic year, which commenced on June 3, according to information provided by the Education Department for Chin State.
Out of the nine townships in the state, students have only returned to classes in Hakha, Falam, Mindat, Matupi, and Tedim, and even these have been poorly attended, explained the state educational director.
“We have been able to open only a few schools this year,” he told Khonumthung News. He said that before fighting started in Tedim Township, they had expected to open 27 in the town sharing the same name, but only 3 started this year, which includes one in Khai Kam.
In Hakha, there were 6 opened, 10 in Falam, 4 in Mindat and 15 in Matupi. There’s no government schools in Paletwa, Tonzang, Thangtlang, and Kanpetlet townships.
A parent, asking to remain anonymous, said, “The number of students is decreasing in Hakha every year, and only a small number of students have enrolled this year.”
He said that many people have not returned to their homes in the capital town after fleeing violence following the military coup.
But, he also remarked, “Some students are afraid to return to their homes in Hakha because of the national conscription law and are hiding in remote villages.”
After losing a lot of ground in Chin State and across the country, which has spurred defections from the military’s already depleted forces, the Military Council invoked a draft law requiring men between 18 to 35 and women 18 to 27 to complete at least two years of service in the army.
Many people of conscription age fear they will be sent to the front line to fight for a regime they despise.
Last year, the junta was able to open 328 schools in eight of the state’s nine townships with the exception of Thangtlang Township. There were 35,434 students enrolled.