Teachers and students who refused to work or study under the military, and joined the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) against the 2021 coup, told DVB that schools have been intentionally targeted by regime attacks, including airstrikes.
Yati Ohm, a CDM teacher who runs a school in a resistance-controlled area of Sagaing Region, told DVB that she witnessed the death of two teachers and 21 students in an airstrike on a school in Ohhteintwin village, located seven miles southwest of Depayin town in Sagaing Region, on May 12. Depayin is located 40 miles (64 km) north of the Sagaing Region capital Monywa.
“Some school children lost their lives and some became disabled after losing their body parts,” Yati Ohm told DVB. “The survivors are experiencing emotional distress. Every time they learn about the location of the military aircraft, they are unable to focus entirely on their lessons. They have to stop studying and hide somewhere safe.”
Over 60 civilians were injured by the airstrike carried out by the Myanmar Air Force on Ohhteintwin village. The National Unity Government (NUG) Ministry of Human Rights states that a total of 289 schools across the country have been destroyed by over 3,400 airstrikes since the uprising to the military coup on Feb. 1, 2021 began.
*Ma Yu, a student who joined the CDM, told DVB that students like her across Myanmar living in regime-controlled areas are also facing difficulties in accessing education due to the political and economic instability.
“If you are a CDM student living in the cities and taking classes online, you have to be very careful about your online security,” Ma Yu told DVB, adding that she’s aware that students trying to access education in resistance-controlled territory face life threatening situations.
The Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack (GCPEA), an inter-agency coalition which highlights the alarming increase in attacks on education worldwide, states that Myanmar and Palestine were the most impacted by attacks on students and educators in 2024.
The NUG Ministry of Education launched a fundraising campaign in July called “Safe Schools, Safe Education.” It seeks to raise $400,000 USD, but this target was not met, according to the ministry’s social media account.
It seeks to purchase an “early warning system” to protect schools in areas under its control with effective bomb shelters and to be able to provide prompt medical care for the injured, according to NUG Minister for Education Zaw Wai Soe.
The ultimate goal is to prevent any further loss of life and enable teachers and students a safe and secure learning environment.
An airstrike on two private schools in Kyauktaw Township, Arakan State, killed 22 students, and injured at least 20 others on Sept. 12. Kyauktaw, located 60 miles (96 km) northeast of the Arakan State capital Sittwe, was seized by the Arakan Army (AA) in February 2024.
“The attack adds to a pattern of increasingly devastating violence in Rakhine State, with children and families paying the ultimate price,” stated UNICEF in its press release on Sept. 12.
The AA vowed to retaliate and called on the international community to take action against the regime in Naypyidaw for alleged war crimes.
The Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM) released a statement on Sept. 16, announcing that it is investigating the airstrike and that it needs witnesses, or those with direct information, to contact its investigators.
The IIMM stated that any airstrikes targeting civilians could be considered war crimes or crimes against humanity. The regime has not responded to the allegations about its airstrikes targeting schools in Arakan or Sagaing.
“Education in our controlled areas has continued with difficulty because of the military airstrikes. We must speed up the resistance to the military to put an end to this situation,” A Wyne, a People’s Defence Force (PDF) member, told DVB.
The NUG Ministry of Human Rights has documented that a total of 546 underaged children have been killed and more that 800 have been injured by airstrikes from 2023 to Aug. 31, 2025.
*name changed to protect identity.
