Five years after coup, education in Myanmar remains in crisis

Participation in the matriculation exam—crucial for progressing to vocational and higher education—has fallen sharply in Myanmar over the past five years of military rule, with just over 250,000 students sitting for the exam this year. Organised by the junta-led Ministry of Education, the exam was held this year from March 11 to 17, with 268,753 students registered and 255,228 taking the exam, according to state media. In 2020, under the National League for Democracy government, 971,266 students registered for the matriculation exam and 910,229 sat for it—indicating a decline of more than 70 percent in the years since the military seized power in 2021. In fact, the total number of students who have taken the exam since the coup is just over one million, barely surpassing the figure for 2020 alone. This reflects a general reluctance among Myanmar’s citizens to allow the regime to educate their children. While the numbers enrolled in public schools have increased in recent years, after a widespread boycott in the immediate aftermath of the coup, few are fully willing participants in the system. While many parents feel they have no viable alternative to junta-controlled schools, others, especially those with children close to graduation, have another concern: a conscription law that makes young people from the age of 18 eligible for military service. “Their return is mainly due to the conscription law,” said one teacher in a state-run school, explaining why some students have chosen to take the matriculation exam. “Fearing the draft, many students have chosen to come back and continue their education.” The regime regards its control over schools and other public services as evidence of its legitimacy as Myanmar’s governing authority. To maintain this status, it has also gone to great lengths to brutally suppress efforts by the National Unity Government (NUG) to establish an education system of its own. The military regularly targets schools in areas under NUG control. Last year, on May 12, it carried out a devastating aerial assault on a school in Oe Htein Twin, a village Sagaing Region’s Depayin Township, killing 20 students as they prepared for exams. It was the worst such attack in two years, but hardly the only one. Students’ backpacks lie amid the wreckage of a school in Sagaing’s Depayin Township after it was hit by a junta airstrike on May 12, 2025 (Photo: AFP) The mother of a student sitting this year’s matriculation exam said her son studied at a NUG-run school for a year after the coup, but she later transferred him to a junta-controlled city school, fearing that repeated closures of NUG schools due to artillery attacks and airstrikes would disrupt his education. She also noted that parents need to consider their children’s long-term prospects. “Student numbers in junta-run schools are increasing because a completion certificate or degree is essential for employment,” she said. “As the resistance drags on, many are rejoining the junta’s education system for various reasons.” Student participation in the matriculation exam has fallen most sharply in areas where the military has lost significant territory, including Sagaing Region and northern Shan, Karen, Karenni, Kachin, Chin, and Rakhine states. In these areas, resistance-run schools remain the only option for most local people. And despite the challenges, many have had some measure of success in meeting the needs of those who depend on them. “Our student numbers have risen. Despite air and artillery attacks, schools have remained open to prevent disruptions to children’s education,” said Maw Mimar, head of the education department of the Interim Executive Council Karenni State, which governs in parts of the state under resistance control. To her knowledge, she said, no students have returned to junta-run schools in Karenni State, and universities and colleges under her department are likely to reopen. “However, with junta columns advancing again in recent months, parents are increasingly worried,” she added. For students who have no choice but to return to junta-controlled schools, it is still important to offer support, according to Khin Ni, an official of the All Burma Federation of Student Unions. “We need to provide support and assistance, and also guide students returning to school to remain aligned with the revolution, encouraging them to support the movement while continuing their education,” he said.

Five years after coup, education in Myanmar remains in crisis

A steep decline in the number of students taking the annual matriculation exam points to an education system in collapse

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