Airstrikes, arson, shelling and ground fighting between the military and armed rebel groups have damaged at least 174 schools and universities in Myanmar since a military coup in 2021, according to a new report.
Open source investigator, the Centre for Information Resilience (CIR), said analysis of imagery from conflict zones showed burned and collapsed buildings.
The group said it had documented 64 deaths and 106 injuries from the attacks, although it was difficult to verify the full extent of casualties because of a lack of access to the sites.
The country was plunged into conflict after Myanmar’s military seized power three years ago, ousting the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi and sparking armed resistance and protest across the country. According to Action on Armed Violence, a charity that investigates violence against civilians, at least 50,000 people have been killed.
Matt Lawrence, director of CIR’s Myanmar Witness project, said that in more than half of attacks it assessed, education centres had been destroyed or significantly damaged, which would have a lasting impact on youngsters living in these areas.
He said the destruction of schools would harm a generation growing up during the conflict without access to education, which he said was important to produce reasonable, progressive leaders.