An increasing number of school-age children from low-income, working-class families in Mon State are leaving school due to the rising cost of education, according to parents.
Although the military junta’s Ministry of Education promotes its system as offering “free education,” actual education costs per student range from 200,000 to over 1 million kyats per academic year, depending on grade level.
In the current market, basic school supplies have become increasingly expensive: a dozen blank notebooks cost 18,000 kyats, a pen is 600 kyats, an umbrella costs over 30,000 kyats, a primary school uniform is 15,000 kyats, and a school bag is around 35,000 kyats. On top of that, dormitory and boarding fees continue to rise.
As a result, many older school-aged children from manual labor families are leaving school to work and support their households, a parent said.
The parent said, “it’s no longer easy to keep a child in school, in our village, students who reach grades 10, 11, or 12 have to transfer to another village. If they attend Mon National School, for example, they have to move to Nyisar. Without staying at a dorm or lodging, they won’t be safe commuting. Some kids drop out simply because they can’t afford dormitory fees.”
In a similar case, a high school girl from Kyone Kanya village in Ye Township had to pause her studies for a year due to financial hardship. She was able to resume her education this year with financial aid from the Mon National School.
Despite the government’s claim of a “free education system,” students often still need to attend private tutoring classes and stay in dormitories, incurring further expenses. Parents often end up enrolling their children in additional tuition and boarding arrangements.
An education staff member noted that after the 2021 military coup, commodity prices and education costs have continued to climb, reducing access to education, especially for high school students.
“Families with limited income are really struggling now. This leads to children dropping out, entering the workforce prematurely, or even migrating abroad. If this continues, it could cause long-term harm to their futures,” the staff member said.
In addition to financial challenges, military operations and airstrikes have severely disrupted education in areas like Kyaikto, Bilin, Kyaikmaraw, and Ye townships, leaving hundreds of students unable to attend school.
Nationwide, schools officially reopened on June 2. However, according to junta education department data, only about 6 million students have enrolled this year — a drop of 300,000 compared to the previous academic year.
In ethnic armed group-controlled and People’s Defense Force (PDF)-held areas, the junta’s education system cannot function. Officials acknowledge that both financial hardship and the political situation have contributed to the sharp decline in student enrollment.
