Myanmar junta promises education reform, but 6.3 million children remain out of school

Mizzima

More than 6.3 million children and young people in Myanmar are out of school for the 2026-2027 academic year, driven from the classroom by five years of civil war, displacement and economic hardship following the 2021 military coup.

The crisis figures, released June 23 in a situation brief by the Institute for Strategy and Policy-Myanmar, reveal that nearly half of the country’s estimated 13 million school-age population is currently excluded from formal education.

The country’s schooling infrastructure has struggled to recover since February 2021, when a nationwide Civil Disobedience Movement saw thousands of teachers and students boycott public institutions. Subsequent armed conflict has displaced millions, forcing families to choose between fleeing violence or continuing education.

While basic education enrolment hit 6.7 million this year – a modest increase of 600,000 from last year – broader metrics show a steep decline. The number of students taking high school matriculation exams plummeted from over 900,000 in 2020 to roughly 250,000 this year, the brief noted.

New policies have added further complications. Public schools recently introduced re-entry placement tests, but capped them at age 15, effectively blocking older, high-school-age students from a formal return. For younger displaced children, a lack of official school records, missing transfer certificates and skyrocketing costs for basic school supplies create persistent barriers.

Budget allocations also reflect the decline. Education accounted for 6.02% of the national budget in the 2024-2025 fiscal year and is projected to reach 6.92% for 2026-2027. Both figures remain well below the pre-coup rate of 8.07% in 2020-2021.

Despite the deficit, junta leader Gen. Min Aung Hlaing defended his administration’s policy during a June 9 cabinet meeting, stating that quality education relies on reliable infrastructure and effective teaching. He pledged to raise education spending by up to 20% over his five-year term.

Alternative education systems run by the opposition National Unity Government (NUG) and ethnic armed organizations have attempted to fill the void, though they lack the scale to close the massive gap.

The NUG reported 727,860 students enrolled in its programs for the 2023-2024 academic year. Meanwhile, in northern Shan State, the Ta’ang Land Education Council reported that its enrolment fell from nearly 70,000 last year to roughly 50,000 this term. The drop-off followed a military counteroffensive and intensified airstrikes that forced the closure of around 200 schools under its administration.