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BAGO DIVISION – The locals said that the junta council threatened the basic education high school at old Thandaunggyi Town in Taungoo District, Karen National Union (KNU) Brigade 2 controlled region to open the school on coming Monday, threatening to declare Martial Law in the town if it doesn’t.
A local woman said that although the school accepted enrollment for 2023-2024 school year, the township education office was attacked by unknown armed forces on the day of enrollment. Because of that, most students didn’t attend school. And the school was shut down after said office was set on fire on June 20.
She added, “Junta forces came to check after the school was closed as no one would come to school following those incidents. And then they said they will declare Martial Law if the school wouldn’t open on Monday. They didn’t even announce it, barely passing the message to the town elders. We don’t know how to proceed either.”
A source close to the education community said that threats by unknown armed forces around the houses of the principal, teachers and some school staffs that didn’t partake in the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) have made them afraid to open the school.
A student’s parent said, “Half of the students who had enrolled at the school were afraid to actually go to school. Many students go to private schools and religional schools instead since last year. Most of the students’ parents are stuck between a rock and a hard place as they can’t not enroll their children nor can they actually send them to school.”
According to parents of the IDP children, battles in villages, blasting of heavy weapons by junta forces and junta council army stationing inside the villages and schools caused the villagers to evacuate to safe places and with the additional burden of unemployment, they need assistance for the children’s education.
It has been reported that some high schools in 13 miles of Thandaung and Leiktho Region were also either completely closed or partially closed because of many reasons. As a result, school-aged children are facing difficulties acquiring education.