Life in Ye Township under martial law and continuous shootings are impacting student life. There have been shootings in front of the school, land mine explosions on the school campus, and school fires.
After the military coup, many parents of students decided to send their children to schools in other areas due to the conflict in the region.
“My daughter stayed in Mawlamyine since last year, so she is staying there this year. Ever since the shooting at the immigration office in the middle of last year’s school year, everyone has been on edge. After that, the parents who could afford it changed where they send their children for schooling,” said a parent of a student from Ye City.
Parents do not want a military dictatorship, but they fear that their children’s education will be damaged, so they are returning them to school, but in communities where there is less conflict.
In the 2023-2024 academic year, many students moved away from Ye, Kyaikmayaw and Thanbyuzayat townships.
“More and more students are being sent to hostels. Parents who can afford it put their sons/daughters in city hostels. Not only from Ye but also Thanbyuzayat. The number is higher than last year,” said the boarding school teacher.
According to the State Education Commissioner’s Office statistics, there were roughly 29,000 school enrollments in Ye Township last academic year, and 34,992 enrollments this year. There are about 1,500 schools in Mon State, including high schools, middle schools, and elementary schools, as well as monastic and private schools.
