Teachers and students in Karenni (Kayah) State report concerns about artillery and aerial attacks as the military council has targeted schools in Karenni State.
Although children in internally displaced person (IDP) camps and villages in the state attend self-supporting schools to continue their education without interruption, teachers who teach in these schools report that they frequently face and deal with damage from airstrikes and artillery shelling by the military regime.
“We have been attacked with artillery in school before. So we are even more worried about it now. We don’t know where to flee when we hear fighter jets. We are on alert all the time. Students can’t concentrate on their lessons anymore when they hear fighter jets. They are scared. Where can the children take shelter and what can the teachers do in such a situation? We teachers have to teach with worries,” said a teacher from western Demoso Township.
The military council’s artillery and aerial attacks on IDP camps, schools, and civilian areas appear to be an attempt to disrupt children’s education, prevent them from attending school, and discourage parents from sending their children to schools, according to aid workers helping IDPs.
The airstrikes were most frequent in June, July and August and often occurred between midnight and dawn, said U Banyar, joint secretary-2 of the Karenni State Interim Executive Council (IEC).
“A preschool was hit. In western Hpruso, a middle school was also hit. And some schools were also hit in western Demoso. They also dropped bombs on some schools and surrounding areas and villages. The point is that they are doing this deliberately. Whether it is one attack or two attacks, these attacks have led to concerns about whether or not to open four, five, or ten schools in western Hpruso. In some areas, students can no longer study in the school buildings. They have to put up makeshift tents between houses to teach,” U Banyar said.
In August alone, two school buildings near Demoso were reportedly bombed by military jets, reportedly leaving some students too scared to go to school.
“The children are innocent. They should have the right to study peacefully. I don’t want them to target us, the civilians,” the school teacher added.
According to the IEC, over 400 self-supporting schools have been opened throughout Karen State. Around 3,000 volunteer teachers teach in these schools and there are 40,000 students enrolled.
The Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack reported in its 9 September report that more than 3,000 attacks on education were documented worldwide in 2022. Myanmar recorded the second highest number of attacks after Ukraine.
Sent by Kantarawaddy Times