CNI News

June 16, 2026

Questions are being raised as to why parents are increasingly enrolling their children in private schools due to existing weaknesses in the government school education system in Myanmar.

For the 2026–2027 academic year, government schools in Myanmar commenced enrollment and teaching on June 1, 2026.

At the beginning of this academic school year, incidents have been observed where altercations between students escalated to injuries and fatalities, and fights among students led to disputes between parents, reaching the level of homicide.

Furthermore, situations have come to light indicating weaknesses in the teaching methods and instructional materials of government schools, lower qualifications among teachers, and substandard schools operating out of residential apartment-style rooms rather than meeting proper school standards.

Economic analyst U Thet Zaw told CNI News that the Ministry of Education needs to design a precise school management system.

Parents of students seen

"The Ministry of Education must formulate a precise school management system because the growth of private high schools and the increasing reliance of parents on them already provide an answer. This is because many parents enroll their children in private high schools since they can no longer rely on government schools. They do this so their children can become more literate and smarter. Another point I want to address is social media—not that it didn't exist when we were young, but it did—social media nowadays ruins children's character. For instance, in Australia, those under 18 are not allowed to use TikTok or other social media. They can use phones to talk, but restrictions have been introduced. When various problems emerge like this, we must look at how other countries handle them. In our country, parents let their children play with phones from the time they are crawling. Therefore, the corruption of children in our country is also related to the lack of parental discipline and guidance. The problem with the education system is that they don't teach effectively for students to learn at school. When we were young, they taught us to be proficient at school. They covered the entire curriculum. What is happening now is partly due to the country's economy and the insufficient salaries of teachers. Because their salaries are inadequate, they lean toward outside [private] teaching. Consequently, their effort at school is low, and they lack motivation. The ability of a schoolteacher has also declined. In some cases, although they teach, one has to question how proficient they are themselves. Being educated does not mean one knows how to teach. It requires teaching pedagogy and techniques from the very beginning," he said.

It is reported that because incidents of physical assault and fights using potentially harmful objects during or outside school hours have increased, educational talks are to be conducted within schools. Additionally, incidents of fighting during or outside school hours will be investigated by the school discipline committee, and all participants involved in such altercations will face the disciplinary action of being issued a school transfer certificate (expulsion).

U Soe Htet, Chairman of the New Chin Land Congress Party, told CNI News that in the current school education system, when relocating from one region or state to another, students cannot enroll in government schools without a school-leaving certificate, leaving them with no choice but to opt for private schools.

Children being enrolled in school.

"Regarding school education, the state does provide training to teachers for their respective subjects. Since they are appointed after receiving training, they must have qualifications. However, I don't wish to comment on the teachers' side. It's about the students in school education. I hope that the authorities will implement placement tests to allow students to study in the areas they arrive at. Although parents enroll them for the sake of their children's education, it is very difficult for them. Most parents do not have enough income to afford boarding houses for their students. Since it is an education matter, they are in a position where they absolutely must send them," he said.

Currently, although the state government and the Ministry of Education prohibit schoolteachers from offering private tuition, critics point out that teachers continue to provide tuition because of their low civil service salaries.

Furthermore, members of the public have pointed out that to reduce fights during and outside school hours, it is necessary to call parent-teacher meetings within schools, provide educational guidance to students, and prioritize subjects such as physical education, agriculture, and sports. Similarly, they highlighted the need to restrict children under the age of 18 from using social media.