11/1/22, 8:57 PM Myanmar’s military propaganda about schools rampant on social media · Global Voices government schools of all grades and universities participated, along with medical staff and government workers, by refusing [https://www.thaipbsworld.com/myanmars-longest-lasting-civil-disobedience-movement/] to go to work. The Burmese military regime cracked down [https://www.ei-ie.org/en/item/25058:burmese-military-junta-crackdown-on-125000-teachers-and-try-to-take-over-schools] on the striking teachers and made targeted house arrests. At that time, schools in Myanmar were completely or partially shut for 15 months due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Of the schools that remained partially open, some were caught in the crossfire between the military and organized groups of armed civilians. Save the Children reports [https://www.savethechildren.net/news/myanmar-more-100-attacks-schools-may] that there were at least 260 assaults on school buildings between May 2021 and April 2022, frequently with explosives. By June 2022, when the education system re-opened for the new academic year, schools were understaffed, despite the military's threatening insistence that teachers return to the classrooms. Meanwhile, many parents chose to not send their children back to school [https://reliefweb.int/report/myanmar/myanmar-number-children-out-school-more-doubles-two-years] , fearful of the attacks and wary of an education system under a military regime, eerily similar to their own childhood, in the 1960s. The Observatory's Myanmar team has been dedicated to explaining how the Junta and its supporters are trying to spin-doctor narratives about the country’s educational system. Why it matters The education system is a hot topic in Myanmar, as military supporters attempt to position Myanmar as a functional country postcoup. However, the situation is unstable: school buildings have been targeted by rebel armed civilians against a backdrop of military control. It is unknown how many children are going back to school. Myanmar’s education fallout may have consequences on the country’s future development. Both military and democracy supporters have been expressing their views on the post-coup education system on social media, especially on Facebook. (If you would like to know more about the use of Facebook inside Myanmar, check out a previous edition of Undertones about how Myanmar's military supporters are using Facebook to justify violence [https://globalvoices.org/2022/04/28/howmyanmars-military-supporters-are-using-facebook-to-justify-violence/] .) Military supporters, such as the participants of the Facebook group တပ်မတော်ချစ်သူ တပ်မတော်သားများဆုံဆည်းရာ [https://airtable.com/shrJ0cYKBwPaS49Pk/tblLDgCl5OLlGv43R/viwK6YXMmlnyKbZX9/recXEqAotSdoQmN3o?blocks=bipPTI7evgB8np9lC] (“Hub for military lovers”), claim that the military regime will bring the children of the future “into the light that is the glory of Burmese conservatism and Buddhism.” For them, the civilian government under the NLD party [https://airtable.com/shrJ0cYKBwPaS49Pk/tblLDgCl5OLlGv43R/viwK6YXMmlnyKbZX9/recXVzBM65gRUJ1iC?blocks=hide] — the liberal democratic party that was overthrown by the coup — had been disrupting children's minds. This was made very apparent when the civilian government's education ministry announced [https://learngerman.dw.com/en/myanmar-sex-education-in-schools-sparks-debate-over-morality/a-54330395] that it would incorporate sex education in future curricula, creating an uproar. This incident would later be cited by military supporters as an example of “progressives’ brainwashing.” Military narratives 1. “Civilian government is incompatible with Buddhist nationalist values” [https://airtable.com/shrJ0cYKBwPaS49Pk/tbl0mAI8W2guAWtTU/viwpDNiPamtQyrj9I/recyRNoQC7MO0zAI0?blocks=hide] The main opposition to the NLD's quasi-democratic civilian government referred to its “progressive” views on religion and nationality. Military supporters have always favored the proxy party USDP due to its strong preference for ultranationalism and conservatism. Since the coup, as the ousted politicians formed an alternative government in exile [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Unity_Government_of_Myanmar] and some protestors took up arms [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/People%27s_Defence_Force_(Myanmar)] in guerrilla-like groups, military supporters have started to express this sentiment again. One of their major arguments is that any civilian government would destroy their values. In contrast to this narrative, some democracy supporters recounted their personal experiences of undergoing education under the military regime [https://www.frontiermyanmar.net/en/by-the-book-juntas-education-policy-follows-60-years-of-military-strategy/] that began in 1962, when the curriculum was severely manipulated to reinforce the regime’s agendas (such as nationalism and Buddhism as a superior religion). This also served to strengthen Burmese privilege and erase the history and struggles of ethnic minorities. They claim that corruption in the education system is also rampant in the grading, examinations, and entrance requirements. Democracy supporters assert that the civilian government was on the right track, making much-needed changes to the curriculum https://globalvoices.org/2022/07/07/myanmars-military-propaganda-about-schools-rampant-on-social-media/ 2/5