Disrupted Education System and Ongoing Conflict in Myanmar: An Analysis of the Education Situation in Pekon Township
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Abstract
Despite being a fundamental right, access to education is compromised in conflict settings. Pekon Township in Myanmar became a conflict zone following the coup in May 2021. Since then, frequent clashes have occurred between the military and armed resistance groups. The ongoing conflict disrupts the education system and adversely affects children's formal and informal education. The prolonged state-run conflict that disrupts the national education system forced local civil society, monastic schools and community-sponsored schools in Pekon Township, to initiate alternative education where state schools are unavailable. With qualitative data, this research collected data through 20 semi-structured interviews with parents, education providers and educators, and a literature review. This paper explores education dynamics in Pekon Township, shedding light on how education becomes a conditional right in a conflict setting. Using the 4As tool, this study analyzes the following: The first A (Availability) (the state has ignored resuming education), the second A (Accessibility) (the conflict has disrupted school operations and made learning inaccessible), the third A (Acceptability), and the fourth A (Adaptability) (with school closure, community-based education by communities and religious organizations without accreditation and recognition) or no acceptability and adaptability. This study found that prolonged conflict, including targeted attacks on schools, universities, teachers, and students, and continued state neglect of education services have turned education into a conditional right in Myanmar. The study recommends immediate state action to resume safe education services for all in Myanmar and to stop targeted attacks on educational institutions, academics and pupils.
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