Students in Yangon need ‘transfer certificates’ to study
Families from Arakan State and Sagaing Region now living in Yangon told DVB that they are facing difficulties enrolling their children in local schools for the 2026-27 academic year as they require “Transfer Certificates” to transfer schools. Enrollment for the 2026-27 academic year is underway as basic education schools opened nationwide, according to the regime’s Ministry of Education.
“We don’t know who to ask for help,” the mother of a student from Arakan, who recently tried to enrol her daughter at a high school in Yangon’s North Okkalapa Township, told DVB. Families displaced from their homes in Sagaing Region also said that schools in Yagon’s South Dagon, North Dagon and East Dagon townships were demanding “Transfer Certificates” to enrol their children as students.
Sources in the regime’s Education Department told DVB that the Ministry of Education has instructed schools not to accept students without “Transfer Certificates” for the 2026-27 academic year. A new initiative aimed at bringing children back to school, who dropped out after the 2021 military coup, with a specialized placement test was announced by the regime and will take place June 15-20.
Youth Training Schools open despite low enrolment
Sources close to the military told DVB that two of the 13 “Youth Education Training Schools” have opened in Yangon Region’s Hlegu Township and in the capital Naypyidaw’s Pobbathiri Township. The schools are officially intended to provide education for teenagers during the 2026-27 academic year. Many parents fear it could serve as a mechanism for military indoctrination and forced conscription.
A source close to the “Youth Education Training School” in Yangon told DVB on the condition of anonymity that it has yet to have 100 students enrolled. He added that the schools are intended for families with teenagers who wish to pursue a career in the military after graduation. A family in Hlegu told DVB on the condition of anonymity that students are only permitted to leave the school once a month.
A Pobbathiri resident told DVB on the condition of anonymity that regime ward and village administrators receive financial incentives for recruiting students to enroll in the schools. According to a May 1 recruitment letter published in regime media by the Directorate of Public Relations and Psychological Warfare, applicants must be single males under the age of 19. The first semester begins this month.
Death toll from explosion in northern Shan State reaches 56
At least 56 civilians were killed and 150 others were injured after an explosion at a storage facility for explosives in Namhkam Township’s Kaungtup village on Sunday, rescue groups in northern Shan State told DVB on Monday. Most injured are in critical condition at the Namhkam Hospital. Namhkam is located 128 miles (205 km) north of the regional capital Lashio and about 2 miles (3 km) south of the Burma-China border.
A rescue worker told DVB on the condition of anonymity that the injured are receiving treatment at the hospital but are in need of urgent blood transfusions. Over 200 homes were also destroyed by the explosion at the facility storing explosives used for mining, according to the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) in a statement on May 31. Namhkam was seized by the TNLA in 2023 during Operation 1027.
The Ta’ang Land Council (TLC), the governing body of territory under TNLA control, called for an investigation into the incident on June 1. An explosion at a gunpowder production facility in Pangsang Township on April 7 led to 160 casualties. Pangsang is located along the China border in the Wa Self-Administered Division of northern Shan and is the headquarters of the United Wa State Army (UWSA). Read more
News by Region
AYEYARWADY—A source close to the regime’s Education Department told DVB that over 3,000 students have lost access to education after 69 schools in Lemyethna, eight in Yekyi, four in Ingapu, and five each in Thabaung, Kyangin, Shwethaungyan and Ngathaingchaung townships were closed in 2025.
A Lemyethna resident told DVB that an unknown number of schools have been destroyed by airstrikes carried out by the Burma Air Force. Fighting between regime and resistance forces have taken place in the region since 2024. The towns are located 27-75 miles (43-120 km) north of the region’s capital Pathein.
MAGWAY—Six civilians have been killed and nearly 60 homes burned down in a counteroffensive in Saw Township since May 18, residents told DVB. Saw, located 130 miles (209 km) northwest of the region’s capital Magway, is partially controlled by the National Unity Government (NUG).
A resident told DVB that a teacher, who worked at a school run by the NUG, was killed. Around 3,000 residents have fled their homes since May 12 due to three regime columns advancing towards southern Chin State’s Mindat Township via Saw, which is located 32 miles (51 km) southeast of Mindat.
SAGAING—An armed group calling itself the Student’s Revolutionary Force stated that it will come under NUG Ministry of Defence command after 16 of its members were detained by the People’s Defence Force (PDF) due to complaints filed by residents in Mingin Township. The SRF was established in 2022.
The NUG People’s Administration Team (PAT) in Mingin told DVB that the SRF was planning to come under NUG command prior to the detentions. Mingin, located 114 miles (183 km) northwest of the region’s capital Monywa, has been partially controlled by resistance groups since 2022.
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