Kantarawaddy Times
At dawn, when school-aged children would normally be ready to go to school, some students are instead walking around the partially collapsed school building in western Demoso Township with their teacher, searching for whatever school supplies remain.
The stationery was stored inside the collapsed building for use throughout the academic year.
To ordinary people, the remaining items look like nothing more than rubbish. But for these children, the usable pens, pencils, and other supplies are hope that they can continue their education for the rest of the school year. That is why they are searching through every corner of the damaged building for anything that can still be used.
The school had stocked enough supplies for the 2026–2027 academic year. But following an airstrike by the military junta on August 6, the supplies have now been reduced to nothing.
“Actually, we had enough textbooks, exercise books, pens, pencils and erasers for the whole year. We had planned to distribute them at mid-year. When the school year started, we gave each student a dozen, and we planned to give them another set at mid-year. But now, there is nothing left to give,” said the person in charge of the school whose building was destroyed.
The destroyed building also contained the teachers’ office, which had been built with borrowed money. It was hit by an airstrike from the military junta only about two months after construction was completed.
“It had only been about two months since we built this office. The entire four-room building was destroyed as well. There were a lot of things inside the office, including textbooks, exercise books, all kinds of stationery, and other supplies that had been stored there. For example, there were a large amount of rice, cooking oil, and chickpeas for the school’s nutritional program, and those were also destroyed,” the school administrator continued.
The school that was bombed had been built away from the frontline, in an area that was considered to be safe from the junta’s attack. Yet even there, it was still unable to escape the junta’s airstrikes.
As a result, classes have also been suspended for a period of time.
“Some children start crying in fear as soon as they hear the sound of an aircraft. Some of the teachers become afraid too,” the school administrator said.
One of the teachers also said the airstrike had caused psychological distress.
“I was really frightened. I couldn’t get out of bed for quite a while. It was only this week that I was able to properly start teaching the children again,” she said.
Although there is currently no school building where the children can study, classes cannot remain suspended for too long because the school needs to complete the 2026–2027 academic-year curriculum on time. Thus, the school asks for help from people and organizations nearby and is currently dividing the students into different classes and teaching them in residential buildings.
The school administrator described the difficulties of teaching students in separate groups at different locations.
“There are many difficulties when we teach in other people’s homes, from water usage to seating arrangements and noise, which can be difficult for the owners. That’s why we need to rebuild our school building. We already plan to rebuild it, but we will first have to seek assistance to make that possible,” the school administrator said.
At the same time, rebuilding the school is a major challenge due to the rise in commodity prices. Although the school has received some assistance, it is reportedly still not enough.
“If anyone can help, whether it is a small amount or a large amount, it doesn’t necessarily have to be money. Even a few textbooks or a few exercise books would be valuable to us. Even a small contribution becomes something precious for us,” the school administrator continued.
The sight of children searching stationary through the remains of a collapsed building is an illustration of how the war has affected education.
Although they no longer have a school building, for children who want to continue their education, even a single book, pen, or pencil remains an important form of support that can help them continue their educational journey.
