Dozens of schools need learning materials in KNU-controlled southern Kayin State 

By DMG 18 Jun 2022

DMG Newsroom
18 June 2022, Kyondoe, Kayin State  

Schools that were built on a self-reliant basis in Dooplaya District, a territory in southern Kayin State controlled by the Karen National Union’s Brigade 6, need supplies to support students’ education, according to locals. 

Out of more than 120 schools in Dooplaya District’s Kyondoe Township, 42 schools were opened in 2022, and there is a need for educational materials for the students, said an elder from Pharkya village. 

“Forty-two schools that were built on a self-reliant basis out of more than 120 schools in Kyondoe Township were opened in 2022 due to the political situation. We need stationery and financial assistance to pay the salaries for the teachers,” the village elder added. 

The schools began accepting students on June 4. Although there are more than 20 teachers, the number of teachers is not enough at present, according to school committee members. 

“Schools were closed for two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic and military coup. We don’t want to delay the education of these children. These schools are being set up to prevent children from going astray,” a female teacher said. 

At present, students are being taught at a nearby monastery due to the Myanmar military presence in some schools, according to school committee members. 

“The Myanmar military’s Light Infantry Battalion No. 546 has been stationed at a high school in Taungkyarinn village for two weeks,” said a school committee member. “The junta troops neither retreat from the area nor allow locals to enter inside the school.” 

There are more than 800 students at self-reliant schools in Kyondoe Township for the academic year 2022-23, according to figures compiled by the KNU’s education network.