Parents in Hpakant Township want the National Unity Government (NUG) in exile to open a school in their villages because they don’t want their children to attend educational institutions under the military regime.
“Some parents have already sent their children to schools in town and others to the government school in the village,” a woman told KNG, wishing to remain anonymous.
Villagers in Tarmakham and Houng Per hope NUG can help them avoid these schools after the school year started earlier this month. Both villages have 500 residents each and are under the control of Brigade 9 of the Kachin Independence Army in Kachin State.
“There are about 10 teachers working at the middle school in Houng Per who haven’t participated in the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) against the military regime,” said a man who wished to remain anonymous, explaining that there are 100 students enrolled there, including children from a nearby village, but the school has space for 1,000 students. Meanwhile, there are over 1,000 students from Houng Per, Tarmakhan and surrounding villages who don’t attend official classes because their parents boycott the regime-run schools.
Another source, who wishes to remain anonymous, said, “As parents, we’re worried about our children’s education, so some of us send them to classes run by CDM teachers.” These classes are taking place in private homes.
