By Kantarawaddy Times
A makeshift school for internally displaced children, recently established near the Pon Chaung River on the eastern side of Dee Maw Hso Township in Karenni State, is currently facing a shortage of essential teaching and learning materials, according to Ko Reh Oo, the school’s principal, who spoke to the Kantarawaddy Times.
“ Regarding on the leaning materials, the main challlenges is not enough textbooks. Even though We currently have pens and blank notebooks, they won’t be enough for the entire academic year. We’ll need to find more. As for whiteboards, we only have three new ones, while the rest are old boards that have been repainted or re-marked with metal tools to make them reusable” stated the school principal.
While the school previously offered classes only up to Grade 9, it has now been expanded to include Grade 10 for the 2025–2026 academic year in response to parents’ requests. A school administrator stated that they plan to seek support to secure essential teaching materials, blank notebooks, and monthly stipends for teachers.
Currently, textbooks are available only for students in Grades 7 through 10. Additional support is needed to provide textbooks for students in the remaining grades, the administrator added.
Parents living in the displacement camp are also struggling to afford basic school materials for their children due to financial hardships.
“I have a 14-year-old child who is currently in Grade 8,” said a parent. “During the sesame planting season, most of our limited income is spent on agricultural needs. As displaced people with no stable source of income, we simply cannot afford to purchase school supplies or notebooks for our children.”
The IDP school currently offers education from Kindergarten through Grade 10, serving 84 students who are taught by 16 local volunteer teachers.
Although many IDP camps across Karenni State have managed to reopen schools for the new academic year, there remain widespread shortages of classroom space, learning materials, and teaching resources.
