Search

By Seng Mai Aung, Hyeyeon Park, and Tala Alnasser

This is the first in a series of articles telling the stories of students and teachers in Myanmar who have forged on with education in spite of being displaced from their homes due to the ongoing civil war that is stretching into its fifth year.

Background

Since the 1960s, Myanmar’s military regime has relied on a “divide and rule” strategy to maintain its grip on power. This strategy has intentionally sought to fragment the country’s religious and ethnic communities, inciting conflict between the majority Buddhist-Burman population and ethnic and religious minorities in the area. Exacerbating these divisions, the military portrays itself as an essential force, necessary for the preservation of national unity and stability.

The education system has played a critical role in reinforcing these divides. Schools teach that ethnic and religious minorities are influenced by foreign actors seeking to undermine national sovereignty. As a result, an “us vs them” mentality is fostered amongst the Burman majority, leading to distrust towards other ethnic and religious groups. This mindset is particularly harmful to ethnic groups such as the Kachin, who are predominantly Christian, as they are labeled as “rebels” due to their past resistance to military rule.

In 2011, conflict broke out between the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and the military, resulting in the displacement of over 100,000 Kachin civilians. Many fled to refugee camps along the Myanmar-China border where they live in dire circumstances. For over a decade, families have been forced to live in overcrowded and fragile shelters in the middle of the jungle with limited access to education and healthcare. In one of these towns, Laiza, thousands of displaced Kachins have been living in camps since 2011.

Schools in Laiza and nearby towns have been run by ethnic organizations. Consequently, their diplomas are not recognized in Myanmar and, thus, greatly limit their students’ educational and career prospects. As a result, many youth stop going to school and turn to low-wage labor, gambling, or sometimes even falling victim to human trafficking or drug abuse. Such conditions have left generations of Kachins in a state of hopelessness and, over time, have engendered hostility and resentment towards the Burman majority.

In 2021, the military launched a coup that overthrew the democratic government. Many Burman civil servants and academics engaged in boycotts and went on strike in protest, giving birth to the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM). The military responded with arrests of CDM participants, causing many to flee to areas of the country that were under the control of other ethnic groups where they were provided refuge. The town of Laiza ended up taking in many CDM members. Though they were both Buddhist and Burman, they still sought the downfall of the military regime and the restoration of a democratic government. Initially, the arrival of Burmans in Laiza was met with suspicion by local Kachin residents and refugees. However, as more interactions took place between displaced Burmans and Kachins, long-held prejudices began to be dispelled, offering a glimmer of hope for rebuilding trust and understanding across Myanmar’s fractured society.

Tin Zar Lin, Lecturer at Kachin State Comprehensive University

Tin Zar Lin, Lecturer

Tin Zar Lin’s life changed dramatically the day Myanmar’s military coup struck in 2021. A dedicated public servant and lecturer from the northern part of the Sagaing Region and a member of the Kadu ethnic group, Tin Zar Lin returned to her hometown, ready to begin her career in academia after graduating from a master’s program at Sagaing University. But when the coup unfolded, she immediately joined the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM), refusing to return to her government job in protest of the military’s overthrow of the elected civilian government. Sacrificing the security of a career as a civil servant, Tin Zar Lin believed that this choice was necessary for her country’s future.

As armed resistance intensified, Sagaing, a region that was previously stable, descended into conflict. Her family, who grew beans and peanuts for their livelihood, began to struggle as work in the fields grew increasingly dangerous. With fields left unplanted and livelihoods at risk, day-to-day survival became precarious. Parents withdrew their children from schools out of fear for their safety and not wishing to subject them to indoctrination by the military regime. The unrest started to disrupt every aspect of life, and by the end of the year revolutionary forces gained greater control over her area. It was at this time Tin Zar Lin and a group of other CDM teachers decided to take action.

The teachers were determined not to let their students lose years of education to the coup and the COVID pandemic. In 2022, they banded together to open community-based schools which provided instruction in informal settings such as homes and places of worship. These schools provided a ray of hope for parents in the small, war-torn villages who were desperate for their children to regain some semblance of normalcy. With formal schools closed for so long and illicit drugs becoming increasingly accessible, many students began engaging in risky behaviors and developing harmful habits.

In an attempt to encourage the return of children to school, Tin Zar Lin began teaching elementary-level classes in these community-based schools. In 2023, she made her way to Laiza where she took on a new role: tutoring students to pass the Kachin Education Department (KED) exam, which would allow them to attend Kachin State Comprehensive University (KSCU). Living among these students, she became more than just a teacher—she also took on the roles of guardian and mentor.

However, this decision did not come without a cost. Tin Zar Lin’s family, who had to flee their home multiple times due to the ongoing war, could not be contacted. It has been months since the internet in her home village was cut off, and the person who used to help her relay messages to her family had gone silent..

“I just have to assume my family is doing well,” she said with a mixture of hope and sadness, “This was my decision, and I knew it would be hard. I discussed it with my parents before I chose this path.”

Tin Zar Lin’s days in Laiza are long and demanding. Each morning, she awakens her students at 5:30 a.m., encouraging them to study before the day begins. After taking a few moments for herself in Buddhist prayers, she prepares her lessons for the day. From 9-11 a.m., she teaches younger students, then heads over to KSCU to teach economics and administration. On some days, she also teaches a project management class at an agricultural school. At the end of the day, she returns home to provide tutoring to other students, often working until 11 pm.

“I don’t get much rest,” Tin Zar Lin said, “Sunday is supposed to be my break, but I usually spend the day preparing lessons for the week ahead.”

Despite her exhaustion, she is committed to her students. Many of them come from resistance-controlled areas where it is safe for them to attend school. However, others are from regions where the war is still raging. Some who had initially joined the resistance were encouraged to pursue schooling as they were too young to undergo military training. As a result, they found themselves separated from their families and living on their own in a foreign environment.

So far, 33 of her students have successfully passed the KED exam and 48 are preparing to take the exam next year. Many KSCU lecturers have also joined Tin Zar Lin in teaching these young people.

But there are challenges to teaching children who have spent most of their lives amidst armed conflict. Some have been isolated from the outside world for so long that they lack basic knowledge about Myanmar and the world outside

“I felt very bad for them,” she admitted. “In the past, students had access to the internet and knew about the world. But here, they cannot even name any major businesses or banks in Myanmar.”

Nevertheless, Tin Zar Lin has high hopes for her students. Her dream is to equip the Kadu and Kachin children with the tools needed for social mobility and stability. She strongly believes that education is the necessary foundation for a peaceful and developed society.

“If we don’t educate them, they will only chase after money, and they’ll be exploited by others,” she stated, “Education is the only thing that can better their lives. Money and fame don’t last, but education does.”

Her commitment to this mission was fueled by what she had witnessed in her hometown. Sagaing, an area rich in natural resources, particularly gold, had seen many people chase after wealth at the expense of their education. Countless young lives have been lost to drug addiction. “Their lives were ruined,” she said, her voice heavy with the weight of what she had seen.

Through it all, Tin Zar Lin has resolved to persevere in the face of loneliness, illness, and uncertainty about her family’s safety.

“Malaria is common here in Laiza,” she said. “I’ve gotten sick, but I think I’m immune to it now. At first, I used to feel sad when I got sick and was away from my family, but I remind myself that this was my decision, and I need to stand firm.”

Her dedication apparent and her vision clear, Tin Zar Lin’s story is one of sacrifice, determination, and an unyielding belief in the power of education to transform lives. Despite the challenges, she continues to inspire the students she teaches, showing them that even in the darkest of times, education can be a beacon of light and a promise for a better future.

Seng Mai Aung is a Senior Program Officer at the Institute for Global Engagement.
Hyeyeon Park interned at IGE and is a senior at Pepperdine University majoring in Psychology and double minoring in Industrial Organization and Social Work.
Tala Alnasser interned at IGE and is a senior at Brigham Young University majoring in French Studies and Communication with an emphasis on Public Relations and minoring Sociology.