Photo: Military Council
Mizzima
The National Unity Government’s (NUG’s) Ministry of Education is at loggerheads with its own Ye-U Township Education Board over the board’s plan to fine students who have studied in the military-run education system.
In Ye-U Township and the neighbouring Khin U Township in Sagaing Region, defence forces control most of the area but fighting still erupts in different parts of the townships where there are still junta forces.
There is a lack of formal administration in Khin U Township and many other areas of Sagaing Region. Despite ongoing fighting in some areas, to help resolve the situation the NUG has tried to establish interim governance and education in Ye-U and the rest of Sagaing Region.
To that end, the Ye-U Township Education Board was established under the NUG.
In a 10 April statement, the Ye-U Education Board said that students who had not taken part in the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) against the junta, or who had attended interim education schools run by the junta would have to pay fines of between 300,000 to 500,000 kyats to the Ye-U Township Education Board, if they wanted to attend any middle or high schools operated by the NUG.
A spokesman for the NUG’s Ministry of Education, Nay Phone Latt, said that the Ministry had not authorised the statement.
He said “It [the fines] was not authorised by the Ministry of Education. We were not instructed to implement it.”
Mizzima spoke to Thingyan Phyo, the head of the Ye-U Township Board of Education who explained that the decision was taken at a Township Education Board meeting.
He said: “We are primarily concerned about the well-being of CDM teachers, students, and our displaced citizens. We convened a meeting due to the military council’s repeated destruction of eight schools and airstrikes on five schools in Ye U Township.”
Unfortunately, he did not explain how issuing unauthorised fines on non-CDM students and students who had studied in the junta education system and who wanted to continue their studies under the NUG would help the well-being of teachers, students and displaced citizens.
