Myanmar Junta Destroyed 34 Schools in Karen Territory Over Two Years, KNU Says

A school damaged in a junta attack.

Myanmar military forces deliberately attacked and destroyed 34 schools in Karen National Union (KNU) territory over the past two years, killing 33 educators and students, according to the group's education department.

The attacks, carried out between September 2024 and September 2026 across all seven districts of KNU-controlled territory (Kawthoolei), involved repeated airstrikes and artillery shelling that also injured 74 others, the Karen Education and Culture Department (KECD) said.

“Although we have recorded 34 schools that were attacked, some were targeted repeatedly,” said Saw Thaw Thi, KECD’s communications and advocacy officer, adding that regime forces deliberately struck areas where students gather.

The KNU signed the international Safe Schools Declaration in September 2024 to safeguard educational infrastructure during armed conflict.

However, the KECD reported a marked surge in military strikes targeting schools in the two years following the commitment.

Calling on the international community to take decisive action and hold the junta accountable, the KECD noted that the military's actions on the ground directly contradict its public claims of seeking peace.

The findings mirror a 2026 report by the Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack (GCPEA), which documented a 50 percent global increase in attacks on educational institutions over the past two years, with Myanmar ranking among the countries with the highest casualty rates.