Mizzima
According to the junta’s Private Education Law implemented in May 2023, unregistered schools face termination, according to an announcement by the Private School Supervisory Board of the Ministry of Education on 11 April.
The recently enacted Private Education Law requires all private institutions, offering primary, secondary and tertiary as well as those providing, technical and vocational education and training, to register with a new central registration body.
Private higher education, technical, and vocational schools, along with basic education and language institutions, were expected to have registered by 12 April.
The registration entails a five-year fee of 6 million kyats and an annual fee of 5 million kyats, totaling 11 million kyats, which poses challenges for self-established schools, said a school founder in Rakhine State.
“The registration fee for five years is 6 million Kyat, and the annual fee must be paid every year. This poses a significant financial burden for self-established schools. While it may not be an issue for well-established schools with around one to two hundred students, smaller self-established schools opening this year face challenges,” he said.
Dr. Zaw Myint, the junta’s Minister of Education, revealed on 28 March that despite the junta setting the final registration deadline for 8 March, some large private schools had not yet submitted their applications.
Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, the leader of the coup, signed the enactment of the Private Education Law, which includes restrictions on private schools, on 12 May, 2023.
According to the law, the establishment, termination, and curriculum of private schools are under the control of the junta’s Private School Supervisory Board.
The law also prohibits private schools from lecturing, teaching, or discussing political parties and issues. Failure to comply could result in imprisonment for six months to a year and fines ranging from three to 5 million kyats.
Additionally, establishing private schools without registration may lead to imprisonment for one to two years and fines ranging from 30 to 50 million kyats.
Before the February 2021 coup, the Ministry of Education had approved over 1,000 private schools to operate nationwide. The number of private schools currently applying for registration with the junta is yet to be determined.
