The Impact of Conflict on Education of Idps in Paletwa Township, Chin State

3rd INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON BURMA/MYANMAR STUDIES 5-7 MARCH 2021, CHIANG MAI UNIVERSITY

Education, Interrupted or Destroyed? the Impact of Conflict on Education of IDPs in Paletwa Township, Chin State

Nicola Edwards

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Abstract

This paper will present and analyse original research based on data gathered by the author and a Paletwa Khumi researcher in 2019 for a situation analysis of education for IDPs in Paletwa Township. Myanmar Ministry of Education officials, teachers, parents, children, and professionals were interviewed in Paletwa, IDP villages, and Yangon to present a 360 perspective of the situation. Paletwa Township is the least developed township in Chin State bordering Rakhine State and Bangladesh. Its location has resulted in being extremely negatively affected by the fighting between the Arakan Army and the Tatmadaw (Myanmar Army) and this has had an extremely detrimental impact on education for all, not solely IDPs.

Paletwa Township has the lowest matriculation results of Chin State, which in turn, has the lowest results in Myanmar. Many schools were closed before the 2019/2020 Academic Year and those which were open did not have enough teachers. Concerns about education existed even before the upturn in violence spilling over into Paletwa Township with civilians caught in the crossfire of the conflict. There were approximately 3000 IDPs at the time of the research but this has increased several times in 2020.

The research highlights barriers relating to access to, and quality of, education for IDPs, finding that issues affect all children in Paletwa. The conflict is preventing children from accessing and completing education and is negatively impacting upon quality of education of children in the Township.

Education is widely regarded as a fundamental component to development and growth. As a result, nations across the globe grant their citizen rights to education regardless of their political dogma.