More than 6.3 million school-age children in Myanmar are out of school this academic year due to various reasons, as ongoing conflict continues to limit access to education, according to a report released by the Institute for Strategy and Policy – Myanmar (ISP Myanmar) on June 23.
According to the military junta’s Ministry of Education, about 6.7 million students enrolled in schools nationwide for the current academic year.
However, ISP Myanmar noted that census data from 2019 and 2024 indicate Myanmar should have around 13 million school-age children. Based on that estimate, more than 6.3 million children are currently missing out on education.
The report said the figure applies only to the 2026–2027 academic year and warned that the total number of children who have lost access to basic education during the five years since the military coup is likely to be much higher.
A teacher from the Mon National Education Committee (MNEC) told IMNA that Myanmar’s education system is unlikely to return to its pre-coup condition, as many children have been displaced or forced to leave school because of economic hardship and insecurity. Others have migrated abroad with their families to work.
“It is difficult for things to return to how they were before. Even in our Mon National schools, many middle school students are dropping out. In particular, parents take their children to Thailand to work and earn income,” the teacher said.
The ISP Myanmar report said organizations involved in the conflict have been trying to provide alternative education through various methods. However, ongoing fighting and limited infrastructure continue to restrict those efforts.
According to figures released by the National Unity Government (NUG), 727,860 students attended its on-the-ground schools during the 2023–2024 academic year. However, updated figures for the 2026–2027 academic year have not yet been released.
The Ta’ang Land Education Council (TLEC) said it provided education to nearly 70,000 students during the 2024–2025 academic year. However, around 200 schools have been forced to close this academic year because of the security situation, resulting in lower student enrolment.
Officials from the Mon National Education Committee (MNEC) said the organization operated 146 schools with more than 800 teachers during the 2025–2026 academic year. They added that student enrolment has remained unstable since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Meanwhile, although former military leader Min Aung Hlaing has pledged to increase education spending in the 2026–2027 budget, millions of school-age children remain without access to education.
ISP Myanmar also pointed out that the education budget for the current academic year still has not returned to the level of 8.07% of total government spending recorded in the 2020–2021 fiscal year.
