It has been about 3 years since the students from Sezin Village in Hpakant Township, who fled due to the fighting between the Military Council and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), have lost their right to education.

Since July 16, due to the fighting between the Military and the KIA, more than 2000 residents of Sezin Village had to flee to the nearby villages of Hongpa and Tamakan. Until now, the war refugees are living in these villages with the help of local social organizations.

Before the fighting, schools in Sezin were closed due to Covid-19 outbreak. Now again, the children are not able to study this school year because they are fleeing the war.

Some parents are worried that their children's education will be interrupted, so they are trying to continue the students’ education in every possible way, like arranging external tuition or sending the children to the schools in nearby areas, a mother from Sezin who fled the war told Myitkyina News Journal.

“My son is in Grade 8. He hasn’t been to school for 3 years. Also, I have a daughter who is in Grade 1. They were sent to external tuitions for studying. They also attended the computer class. We have arranged for the children to be sent to nearby places so that they can continue their studies”, she explained.

When it is difficult to make a living, the parents cannot focus on their children's education, so some youths get married before they are old enough, another local from Sezin said.

“When the war broke out, families became homeless, lost possessions. When the parents and the children were forced to flee to the war refugee camps, they suffered a lot. There are no documents required for studying. Currently, it is almost impossible for children to continue their studies”, the Sezin villager added.

In addition, the parents are worried that if their children are educated together, it will happen like the incident in Layatkone Village in Sagaing Region, so the children's education is getting further and further away, the local said.

Usually, there are about 1200 students in Sezin studying in basic education schools. Currently, most of the children fleeing the war are elementary and middle school students.

During the clashes, the Military Council troops burned down about 400 houses in Sezin village and killed about 50 villagers, according to the locals.