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By Seng Mai Aung, Hyeyeon Park, and Tala Alnasser

This is the third 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.

Dr. Yan Myo Naing, Academic Director and Lecturer

Dr. Yan Myo Naing’s humble roots trace to a small farming village in the Sagaing region called Kar Boh, where he grew up with his parents and had built a life with his wife before the military coup turned his world upside down, forcing him to abandon the life he always knew.  Fleeing with his family to the village of Sint Kuu to escape the violence, Yan Myo Naing found himself swept into a revolution he had not anticipated but one he could not ignore.

While working as lecturers at Myitkyina University in Kachin State, Yan Myo Naing and his wife decided to join the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM), refusing to support a military regime that had unrightfully seized power from a civilly elected government. But this decision came at a high personal cost. His wife’s family had been deeply involved in politics, and the military targeted them. Her eldest brother was killed in the region of Mandalay at the start of the coup, and another brother, a Member of Parliament, had to flee. One by one, the men in her family were lost, either killed or stricken with fatal illnesses while on the run. Yan Myo Naing’s wife, fearing for her life, fled as well. For the first year, they had brief, sporadic contact, but for the last two years, she had disappeared without a trace. Yan Myo Naing had no idea where she was or if she was even still alive.

Despite the uncertainty, Yan Myo Naing remained steadfast. As a lecturer at Myitkyina University, he took an active role in organizing protests, though he operated in the shadows, preferring to protect his colleagues’ safety over seeking recognition.

“I don’t care about taking credit,” he said. “I like supporting from the background.”

He moved quietly, ensuring that protests were safe for others, even if it meant he had to bear the brunt of suspicion. Some colleagues, unaware of his efforts, accused him of collaborating with the military. But Yan Myo Naing was not deterred—he stayed focused on the cause, knowing that the movement’s success was more important than personal validation.

His involvement extended beyond Myitkyina. Yan Myo Naing traveled to the village of  Moe Kaung, risking his life to support the growing revolution there. Continuing much of his clandestine efforts with  friends and former students in the area, he worked tirelessly organizing and ensuring the protests were as safe as they could be.

Despite having an arrest warrant issued against him while in hiding, his discretion and meticulous planning helped him evade capture. Yan Myo Naing often went ahead of the protestors to scout for danger, then followed behind them, blending into the crowd, wearing masks and reflective fabric inside his cap to thwart facial recognition cameras.

By 2023, when Kachin State Comprehensive University (KSCU) was being established in Laiza, Yan Myo Naing was ready for a new challenge. He had been part of the online discussions about the university’s creation while still in hiding in Hpa Kant, but he was unsure about committing to a full-time role. Then, four months after those discussions began, Dr. Aung Naing Thu, one of the university’s founders, insisted he come to Laiza as soon as possible. With the help of an ethnic officer who escorted him, Yan Myo Naing made his way to Laiza, ready to build something new.

The beginnings of KSCU were humble. Alongside Dr. Aung Ko Lin, Dr. Aung Naing Thu, law professor Lum Tse, and a few others, Yan Myo Naing helped establish the university with a little more than two laptops. Despite the minimal resources, the team worked tirelessly to create an educational institution in the heart of a conflict zone.

At KSCU, Yan Myo Naing took on dual roles as a teacher and administrator. Elected as the academic director for the School of Arts and Science, he handled everything from organizing lecturers’ timetables to ensuring textbooks were printed and exams administered. His daily commute to the university, a 15-minute ride on his motorcycle, became a routine. But even as gas prices skyrocketed, exceeding his small budget for fuel, he remained committed to his role.

Yan Myo Naing’s hope for the students at KSCU was clear: they would not only become educated but also take over the leadership of the university after the revolution.

“I don’t just teach them like they’re university students,” he explained. “I train them to be future lecturers, to run KSCU themselves.”

He constantly reminded his students that their efforts mattered. If one day the current lecturers had to leave, it would be up to the students—locals from the region—to keep KSCU alive. He encouraged them to think beyond their current circumstances, to see themselves as future leaders in education, capable of sustaining the university long after the political situation had stabilized.

His work at KSCU went beyond academics. Yan Myo Naing wanted his students to understand the complexities of the world, including the religious tensions and conflicts that had torn communities apart. He aimed to foster compassion amongst his students, inviting them to not only learn from books but also from their lived experiences of others.

“I never thought much about religious conflicts,” he admitted, “but through the lecture series, I learned how deep those divisions can be.”

Yan Myo Naing also recognized that his students struggled with confidence. Many had grown up in conflict zones where daily survival took precedence over long-term dreams. To address this, he advocated for lectures and activities that would boost their self-esteem and mental resilience.

“I want them to know that life is hard, but they have to keep trying,” he said. “No matter how difficult things get, they need to believe in their ability to succeed.”

For Yan Myo Naing, success was not about fame or personal achievement. It was about building lasting change—an educational institution that would continue to serve the next generation, long after he and the other lecturers had moved on. His quiet strength, perseverance, and deep sense of responsibility to his students and colleagues are a testament to his belief in the power of education to transform lives, even in the most challenging of times.

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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.