Myanmar cannot build a sustainable future while a generation of girls is being pushed out of education; protecting girls’ access to learning today is an investment in the leaders, professionals, and communities that will rebuild the country tomorrow.
Key Takeaways:
Girls’ education is essential to Myanmar’s sustainable recovery.
Conflict, displacement, and economic insecurity are disrupting girls’ access to education.
Investing in girls’ education today means investing in Myanmar’s future leaders and communities.
Myanmar’s education system has been facing a severe crisis alongside years of economic and political instability. Access to education is a fundamental foundation for national development, while gender equality is a basic universal human right. Although Myanmar’s economic crisis and ongoing conflicts have received considerable attention, the disruption of the education system and the experiences of young women who have been unable to continue their education have received comparatively less attention. The erosion of girls’ access to education is not only an educational concern; it is a sustainability challenge that threatens community development and the future of the nation.
Sustainability is not only about economic development. It is also about preserving resources and building a sustainable future with well-informed citizens, inclusive environments, and equal opportunities. Recognising this, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) identify quality education (SDG 4) and gender equality (SDG 5) as essential foundations for sustainable development. However, in Myanmar, progress towards these two goals has been severely hindered by political instability, economic crisis, armed conflict, and institutional decline. These crises do not exist independently; rather, they interact with and reinforce one another, creating what many scholars describe as a polycrisis, a situation in which multiple crises interact and produce impacts greater than those of any single crisis alone.
The disruption of girls’ education in Myanmar provides a clear example of this interconnected crisis. Particularly in conflict-affected areas, educational disruption is not limited to school closures. It is closely connected to displacement, security concerns, and prolonged uncertainty. At the same time, girls in urban areas face different but equally significant challenges, including financial insecurity and concerns about personal safety while pursuing their education. Although these groups live in very different circumstances, they share a common outcome: education has increasingly become a luxury that is difficult to access, sustain, and plan for.
In conflict-affected areas such as Karenni State, Rakhine State, and Shan State, many girls face significant barriers to accessing education. Armed conflict has led to school closures and repeated displacement, causing frequent interruptions to their studies. Students also face limited access to internationally recognised qualifications through local education systems and ongoing security concerns. While some students are able to access online learning, unreliable internet connections, limited access to digital devices and electricity, military operations, and the lack of formal recognition of some educational programmes create additional barriers to continuing their education or pursuing further studies. As a result, only a small number of girls in conflict-affected areas are able to continue their education, often with frequent disruptions.
In contrast, girls living in urban areas such as Yangon and Mandalay face different challenges and opportunities. Although government schools and universities remain available, some young people who discontinued their education following the 2021 military coup have turned to alternative pathways such as the GED, IGCSE, and international education programmes. However, girls from low-income families have far fewer educational options. Compared with those living in conflict-affected areas, they may have greater access to online learning and civil society initiatives that provide information about further educational opportunities and scholarships abroad. Nevertheless, rising living costs, inflation, and widespread uncertainty surrounding employment and education have forced many young people to balance education with work or postpone their studies altogether.
One of the most significant findings among the girls in this study is their growing resilience and independence. Across both groups, participants described how they had to actively search for scholarships, online programmes, volunteer opportunities, and community-based learning initiatives because formal support systems from the government and national institutions had become unreliable or inaccessible due to political instability. As one participant explained:
“The support did not come to me. I had to find it myself.”
This experience demonstrates both the resilience of young women and the limitations of relying on individual resilience in the absence of functioning institutional support.
From a sustainability perspective, the disruption of girls’ education in Myanmar has consequences far beyond individual students. The loss of one student’s educational opportunity potentially means one fewer future leader, policymaker, teacher, healthcare professional, or community leader. Protecting girls’ right to education and supporting their access to quality learning is therefore an investment not only in individual futures but also in Myanmar’s future governance, social development, and economic recovery.
Addressing this challenge requires long-term policy solutions, supported by both international organisations and local organisations that understand and represent the needs of individual communities. Alternative education pathways—including community schools, ethnic education systems, and independent educational providers—should receive greater institutional recognition so that students are not disadvantaged by the absence of formal recognition of their qualifications. Scholarships, financial assistance, and access to digital devices are also essential for students who rely on online learning when in-person education is unavailable, particularly in conflict-affected areas. Safe learning spaces, psychosocial support, and reliable digital communication should accompany educational assistance to protect not only students’ physical and educational well-being but also their mental well-being.
Myanmar’s recovery from state fragility and economic crisis will depend not only on political and governmental transition but also on whether its younger generation has the knowledge, skills, and capacity to rebuild the infrastructure, systems, institutions, and communities that have been damaged or weakened over many years. Education is therefore not simply a means of personal and community development; it is a strategic investment in Myanmar’s sustainable future.
Girls, in particular, have faced longstanding barriers arising from cultural taboos, gender stereotypes, and unequal opportunities. They deserve the opportunity to learn, grow, and become Myanmar's future leaders. Protecting girls’ right to education is not only a matter of equality and human rights—it is an investment in a more resilient, inclusive, and sustainable future for the country.
Reference
Myar, M. B. (2026). Education in the shadow of conflict: Social and educational challenges faced by girls under 25 in Myanmar after the 2021 military coup [Unpublished undergraduate research paper]. Thammasat University.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Na9Hbkl6pjheGMemhqHwpPf_UxJX3Y43vEIYALqNJKo/edit?usp=drivesdk
United Nations Development Programme. (2025). Myanmar’s Enduring Polycrisis: Four Years into a Tumultuous Journey.
United Nations. (2015). Transforming our world: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. (SDGs)
Maw Byar Myar is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Social Policy and Development at Thammasat University, Thailand.
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