Airstrikes May Keep Kyondoe Township Schools Closed

Normally, schools in Myanmar, including in Kawkareik District’s Kyondoe Township, should re-open in June for the start of the new academic year, after shutting for the long holidays at the beginning of March, the end of last academic year.

But, in Kyondoe Township, an area mainly controlled by the Karen National Union (KNU), fighting between the junta and a resistance coalition led by the KNU’s armed wing, the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), has intensified since 14 April 2025.

As the conflict in the area has escalated, junta airstrikes and artillery have deliberately targeted and hit schools. in Kyondoe Township, raising serious security concerns. As a result, it remains uncertain whether schools in the township will reopen for the 2025–26 academic year, according to Man Kyar Nyo, chair of the KNU’s Kyondoe Township administration.

He said to KIC: “I think it will be difficult to reopen schools in the villages along the Dawna Range foothills in Kyondoe. The school in Winka Village was completely destroyed by an airstrike. On top of that, military aircraft are still flying overhead frequently, and the threat of another airstrike is always there. So reopening schools in time for the new academic year will be very challenging. Even if we manage to open on schedule, will the children and teachers feel safe enough to come? Will parents be willing to send their kids to school? These are questions we really have to think about.”

He added that, given the current military situation, reopening schools across the entire region for the upcoming academic year would be difficult, not only in KNU-controlled villages but also in areas controlled by the junta.

One concerned parent said: “Given the current situation, we’re unsure if schools will reopen at the start of the next academic year. So now, we’re left wondering where to send our children. During the pandemic, school closures already disrupted their education, and it would be really upsetting if that happens again. The kids are getting older, but some of them still don’t know how to read.”

Already, in the latter part of the last academic year, when military tensions in the area were at their highest, some of the schools in Kyondoe Township were only able to open sporadically, due to worries about security. The uncertainty as to when schools would be able to open led to final exams being held earlier than planned.

Last academic year, in Kyondoe Township, 16,722 student were taught by 904 teaching staff in 58 junta-operated schools, 54 independent schools and two schools run by the KNU’s Karen Education and Culture Department (KECD), according to data from the KNU’s Karen Education and Culture Department (KECD).