By Hlaing / MPA
Parents across Myanmar are expressing profound fear and uncertainty over their children’s safety following a series of violent incidents, including murder and sexual assault, within both state-run and private educational institutions.
Recent reports from local sources and parents highlight a growing sense of vulnerability in environments previously considered safe havens for learning. The outcry follows two high-profile tragedies in early 2026 that have shocked the nation and raised urgent questions about school security and professional ethics.
“I send my children to a private school, but after hearing about the recent rape of a student, I no longer feel they are safe,” a mother of two middle-school students told MPA. “It feels as though there is no longer any protected space for children to get an education.”
The anxiety is not without cause. On 27 January 2026, a Grade 7 student died in Yangon’s Shwepyithar Township following a physical altercation with a Grade 8 student inside a government high school. Just weeks earlier, on 15 January, a Grade 12 boarder at the ‘Aung Myay Thit’ private school in Taunggyi was reportedly raped by the son of the school’s owner.
Critics and parents point to a systemic failure within the education system. They cite a lack of discipline, a decline in teacher accountability, and a general erosion of moral conduct in classrooms.
“There is a visible disregard for duties and responsibilities,” said a striking teacher from the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM). “To instill discipline in children, the educators themselves must lead by example. Under the current military-led administration, the system is barely functioning; it is a ‘business as usual’ facade with no effective oversight or accountability.”
For many fathers and mothers, the concern extends beyond physical safety to the moral development of their children. A father of a primary school girl noted that the traditional bond between teachers and students has frayed, with less emphasis on holistic development and more on “going through the motions.”
As the fundamental pillars of Myanmar’s future—its youth—face these growing threats, the call for rigorous security measures and a return to professional ethics becomes louder. For now, however, many parents are left with the harrowing choice between their children’s education and their basic survival.
