Digital struggle and resistance in the Myanmar revolution 10/31/24, 11:36 AM educational landscape. Due to widespread boycott of the military junta and participation in the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM), many high school and university students have left the formal education system in protest of the dictatorship. According to the charity Children of the Mekong, basic education enrolment dropped 80% within two years of the coup, leaving 7.8 million students out of school. Digital education has emerged as a viable solution to address the crisis. Burma Academy is a non-profit, youth-led EdTech initiative founded after the coup, alongside other informal digital education platforms. Committed to the belief that education should be free for all, it aims to provide alternative access to learning through digital technology. Its courses follow the massive open online courses (MOOC) model and are freely accessible via its mobile application, with downloaded resources for areas with unstable internet access. Burma Academy has also piloted the use of Raspberry pi devices for offline learning, designed for regions with complete internet shutdowns. Additionally, hybrid learning centres have been established in some liberated areas where internet access is available. Its website has been banned and censored by the military’s State Administration Council (SAC), requiring students to use VPNs for access. However, the recent ban on VPNs has further restricted students’ ability to reach the platform. The digital divide remains a significant challenge with internet shutdowns, high mobile data costs, device requirements, heavy censorship and limited access exacerbating the barriers to education. The representative concluded that while global e-learning trends are on the rise, Myanmar still needs to prioritise gaining internet access. Fostering internet access is directly tied to ensuring the right to education in Myanmar, and the country risks falling behind globally if this issue is not addressed. Taking forward several issues regarding digital access The participants raised questions and urgent concerns, some of which included: The use of Starlink satellite internet in non-regulated areas and issues with roaming. https://www.apc.org/node/40396 Page 7 of 10