Myanmar rebels open colleges

The medical student was continuing near his dormitory in the eastern jungles of Myanmar when he heard military planes flying overhead. Wearing only bottoms, he raced to a bomb shelter. But there, he encountered another danger: a black snake. He grabbed a stick, killing it before it bit him.

“It was terrifying,” said Khu Nay Rih Win, 21, who was inspired to become a surgeon after working as a rebel army doctor. “The fear of death from a snake is as real as the fear of bombs.”

This is life for students at Karenni Medical College, a school founded two years ago in territory controlled by rebel forces. The campus, with classrooms and dormitories made of thatched bamboo, was built into the forest by the professors and students themselves.

It is one of 18 small universities, colleges and academies established in rebel-held territory in the four years since Myanmar’s military ousted the country’s civilian leaders and seized power in a coup, according to anti-Gontia officials in five regions of the country. They lack funds for much-needed equipment and supplies, and their facilities are basic. But the hope is that these schools can help create the foundation for a new democratic society in the country.

“We opened without waiting for the revolution to end because we are concerned that if young people are cut off from education for too long, they may change paths, face delays in their learning and miss out on higher education opportunities,” Dr Meo said. Khant Ko Ko, founder and president of Karenni Medical College.

The civil war in Myanmar has shattered the country’s rhythms of life. Thousands of people have been killed by the army. Tens of thousands were imprisoned. Millions became refugees in their own country. and The economy lies in ruins.

The anti-Qonta forces are a loose alliance of disparate groups of armed ethnic minorities who have fought the army for years, and units that have recently formed from the ranks of pro-democracy protesters.

In the past 15 months, ethnic rebel forces He recorded many victories In the countryside, anti-Tughri forces now claim control of more than half of the country’s territory, leading to optimism among supporters.

But the junta retains control of Myanmar’s major cities and the capital, Naypyidaw, as well as most of the country’s wealth and air power. Anthony Davis, a Bangkok-based security analyst with the Janis Group of Military Publications, said a clear victory remains elusive for the rebels, who lack significant international support, a steady flow of ammunition and, most importantly, a unified command structure.

Deputy Education Minister Say Khaing Myo Tun said the 18 schools, all located in ethnic rebel territory, were recognized by the Shadow National Unity Government. Students pay little or nothing to attend.

Teachers are also trying to create a school system for primary and secondary school students, many of whom live in camps for displaced people.

Universities and colleges, with students numbering in the dozens to low hundreds, offer degrees in the sciences, liberal arts, agriculture, law, technology, nursing, music, and more. Some have relationships with foreign universities and send students abroad to study.

To avoid air raids, schools remain hidden as much as possible. Some have taken over buildings that were partially damaged by the fighting. Others are placed in residential areas or hidden under the forest canopy.

Some students move to campus from refugee camps where they live with parents and siblings. Others enlisted with rebel forces and attended class when not fighting.

One school, Ta’ang Arts Academy in Shan State, is dedicated to ethnic culture and music. The first class has 27 students. The director, OWM Sa Ngarr, said he hopes to preserve local culture while using music “as a way to heal the psychological trauma faced by people living in conflict areas.”

Officials said the biggest challenge is the lack of funding to purchase equipment, pay salaries and improve facilities.

But everyone lives In fear of planes planes planes planes drones.

“Every day, we learn under the constant anxiety of airbursts, carefully listening to the sound of planes and anxiously watching the sky,” said Child Hsan Chit Su, founder (professor of chemistry at) Phanshaw University in Karni State, A. College of Liberal Arts which opened in March.

In the days following the 2021 coup, doctors in Mandalay led a walkout that spurred a nationwide civil disobedience movement. Now, some of them are leading efforts to establish medical colleges in rebel lands.

Khin Maung Lwin, who resigned in protest from his position as president of the prestigious University of Medicine, Mandalay, founded the Kachin State College of Medical Sciences in 2023 and recruited professors who had been involved in the civil disobedience movement.

The school, which has about 100 students, had to close twice when bombs started nearby. Professors and students temporarily moved to a safer area near the Chinese border, where students helped care for the injured.

“Many of these students have gained significant practical experience in trauma treatment,” said Dr Khin Maung Lwin.

Nelly Foy, 22, who plans to become a surgeon, is typical of many of the students at Karenni State’s medical school, and the second one to open.

Her family home was destroyed by Junta Artillery. Her mother and younger brother live in a refugee camp. Two older brothers are soldiers in the Karni Nationalities Defense Force.

But her life is not easy in the jungle medical college.

A giant snake once slithered near her pillow while she was sleeping. Sometimes, due to inadequate facilities, she bathes in a pond where cows drink. When drones and planes fly overhead, she quickly interrupts her studies, turns off her light and runs into a bomb shelter.

And if snakes and an air raid weren’t enough, she and other students must confront local livestock that roam the campus and eat their laundry. A veterinarian from the area said the cows may have developed an appetite for soap because their diet lacks salt.

Mr Khoo Nay Reh, the student who encountered the snake in the bomb shelter, said the cows ate all but one T-shirt and medical gendarmerie confiscated at the school.

“I’ve lost more than 10 shirts to cows,” he said.