Over 170 Myanmar Schools Devastated by Ongoing Conflict, Report Reveals

A new report published in The Guardian yesterday highlights the severe impact of armed conflict in Myanmar, revealing that airstrikes and ground fighting have damaged at least 174 educational institutions since the military coup in 2021.

More details in the following report:

The Centre for Information Resilience (CIR), an open-source investigation group, has documented extensive destruction across Myanmar, with analysis of imagery from conflict zones showing numerous burned and collapsed schools and universities, an article by The Guardian said.

The report indicates that at least 64 people have died and 106 have been injured due to these attacks, although verifying the full extent of casualties remains challenging due to restricted access to affected areas.

Since the military seized power and overthrew the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, the nation has descended into chaos, leading to widespread armed resistance. According to Action on Armed Violence, at least 50,000 lives have been lost as the conflict escalates. Matt Lawrence, director of CIR’s Myanmar Witness project, emphasized that more than half of the assessed attacks resulted in significant damage to educational facilities, threatening the future of children in these regions.

Lawrence expressed concern that the ongoing violence would shape a generation steeped in conflict rather than education, hindering the development of informed and progressive leaders. The report also noted that the Myanmar military is primarily responsible for the airstrikes, which are often justified by claims that schools were being used for military purposes.

As the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) prepares for a meeting, the UK Foreign Office reiterated the need for all parties, especially the Myanmar military, to protect civilian infrastructure and refrain from airstrikes, emphasizing that schools should remain safe havens for learning.

“Schools are meant to be a place of safety and opportunity, not collateral in a conflict. Asean is critical to finding a path to peace in Myanmar. We again reiterate our call to all parties, particularly the Myanmar military, to refrain from airstrikes, safeguard civilians, and protect civilian infrastructure,” said the UK Foreign Office.