Students, teachers grapple with aftermath of deadly airstrikes

Survivors of a pair of deadly airstrikes carried out by regime forces in Karenni State’s Demoso Township last week say they are struggling to come to terms with their loss. Five people, including four children, were killed and at least 19 others were injured when fighter jets dropped bombs on two schools in the villages of Loi Nan Hpa and Daw Si Ei, in the western part of the township, on February 5. The attacks also left the schools in ruins, forcing those who lived through the ordeal to put their education on hold as they grapple with what happened to them. “Many students are suffering from mental trauma after this terrible incident. The sound of junta warplanes throws them into a state of panic,” a teacher from the school in Loi Nan Hpa told Myanmar Now. While no children were killed in Loi Nan Hpa, the sheer terror they felt as they hid under a bridge while buildings were laid to waste around them has left a lasting mark on their young minds, she said. “Education is vital for children, but we need to heal their mental trauma first,” she stressed. In Daw Si Ei, another teacher said that she struggled with feelings of guilt after four of her students died in the attacks. “I’m deeply saddened by the loss of our students. I also feel guilty because I couldn’t manage to protect them. It also concerns me deeply to think that it could happen again,” she said. The school in Daw Si Ei was self-managed and run by volunteers. It had more than 100 students, from kindergarten to grade 11, and 12 teachers, including six who had taught in public schools until they joined the Civil Disobedience Movement against military rule three years ago. Despite the devastation that they were forced to witness, many of the children say they are eager to return to their studies, according to the teacher in Loi Nan Hpa. “It’s not that they’re losing their fear of airstrikes, but they’re even more afraid of not getting an education,” she said. “So we will have to find a safe place for them to study.” But that won’t be easy in Karenni State, where the military routinely carries out airstrikes and artillery attacks on civilian targets, including schools, in areas under the control of resistance forces. “They need humanitarian aid for their physical and mental recovery,” said a representative of a local rights group. “They will also need financial support to build temporary makeshift schools.” According to figures compiled by Myanmar’s publicly-mandated National Unity Government (NUG), at least 52 schools have been hit by regime airstrikes since the military seized power in a coup three years ago. Indiscriminate shelling and arson attacks by junta forces have also damaged or destroyed nearly 200 more schools in conflict-hit areas, the NUG claimed. Last week, the United Nations children’s rights agency UNICEF issued a statement condemning the regime’s latest attacks on places of learning. “Attacks against schools are a grave violation of children’s rights and can constitute a violation of international humanitarian law,” it said, noting that the victims of last week’s attack were aged between 12 and 14.

Students, teachers grapple with aftermath of deadly airstrikes

Attacks on two schools in Karenni State’s Demoso Township last week have left survivors traumatised and in need of support

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