Myanmar rebels open university

The medical student was taking a shower near his home in the jungles of Eastern Myanmar when he heard the sound of military jets. Wearing nothing but phenhorts, he went to the shelter. But there he faced another danger: a black snake. He grabbed a piece of wood, killing it before opening it.

“I was scared,” said 21-year-old Win, Khuu Nay reh, who was inspired to become a surgeon after serving as a rebel army. “The fear of dying from a snake is actually the fear of a bomb.”

Such is life at the Karenni Medical College, a school established two years ago in a province controlled by rebel forces. The campus, with classrooms and dorms made of bamboo, was built deep in the forest by teachers and students.

It is one of the universities and colleges and universities that have been built in the province that has been in conflict in the four years since Myanmar’s military overthrew the country’s civilian leadership and seized power in a coup. , according to the staff of the Junta in the five regions in the five regions in the five regions of the country. They don’t have money for a lot of equipment and supplies, and their concept is simple. But the hope is that these schools can help create the foundations of a new democratic society in the country.

“We opened without facing the revolution because we were concerned that if their education was changed soon, their education might face a road and they would not see the time of higher education,” said Dr. Myo Khant Ko, the founder and president of Karenni Medical College.

The civil war in Myanmar has shattered the rhythm of life in the country. Thousands of people were killed by the army. Thousands were imprisoned. Millions have become refugees in their own countries. And the economy is ruined.

The anti-junta army is a heterogeneous group of armed minority groups that have been fighting for many years, and recently created groups from the ranks of the pro-democracy protests.

In the past 15 months, ethnic rebel forces have won many victories in the countryside, and anti-junta forces now claim control of half of the country’s territory, giving their supporters hope.

But the Junta retains control of the main city and capital, Naypyidaw, as well as most of the country’s wealth and air power. A clear victory is meaningless for the rebels, who lack significant international support, air travel and, most importantly, a command structure, said Anthony Davis, a researcher at of Bangkok, is a researcher in Bangkok.

The 18 schools, which are in the area of ​​the ethnic rebels, are recognized by the government of the national unity, said the Minister of Education, Sai Khaing Myo Tun. Students pay little or no attendance.

Educators are also trying to set up a school system for students in primary and secondary schools, who live in camps for displaced people.

Colleges and universities, with student enrollments ranging from dozens, offer degrees in the sciences, liberal arts, agriculture, law, law , technology and music, among others. Some are affiliated with foreign universities and send students abroad to study.

To avoid airstrikes, the school remains as hidden as possible. Some have taken homes that were partially damaged in the war. Some are driven into residential areas or hidden under the forest canopy.

Some students return to campus from refugee camps with parents and siblings. Others enlisted in the rebel army and attended classes when they were not fighting.

One school, the Ta’n Arts Academy in Shan State, is dedicated to culture and music. The first class has 27 students. The director of Owm Sa Ngarr, said that he hoped to preserve the local culture while using music “as a medium to cure the mental illness that the people living in troubled areas.”

The biggest challenge, the manager said, is a lack of funding to buy equipment, salaries and improvements to the building.

But everyone lives in fear of junta jets and drones.

“Every day we teach under the constant care of the warplanes, listen carefully to the sound of the planes and look at the clear sky,” said Baby Hsan Chit Su, founder of (and professor chemistry) at Phanshaw University in Karenni State, a Liberal Arctic College that opened in March.

In the days following the 2021 coup, doctors in Mandalay led a walkout that inspired civil disobedience across the country. Now, some of them are serious efforts to establish a medical school in the respected province.

Khin Maung Lwin, who resigned in protest from his post as dean of Medical Medicine University, Mandalay, founded the school of medical sciences in Kachin State in 2023 and took over participation in the civil disobedience movement.

The school, which has about 100 students, was forced to close twice when the bombers started dropping bombs. Teachers 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 experience in the treatment of trauma,” said Dr. Khin Maung Lwin.

Nelly Phoe, 22, who plans to become a surgeon, is among the many students at the medical school in Karenni state, the second to open.

His family’s house was destroyed by Junta Artillery. His mother and a younger brother live in a refugee camp. Two older boys are soldiers in the Defense Force Defense Defense Defense Force.

But his life in the Medical Jungle School is not easy.

A giant snake once lay near the pillow on the bed. Sometimes, due to lack of housing, he bathes in a pool where cows drink. When the drones and jets fly overhead, he interrupts his studies, leaves the light on and escapes from the shelter.

And if the snakes and air raids weren’t enough, he and the other students have to fight the local cows that roam the land and eat the laundry. A veteran from the area said that the cows may have made the soap because their food does not contain salt.

Mr. Khuu Nay Reh won, the student who met the snake in the bomb shelter, said the cow ate the cow and the medical material released from the school.

“I lost over 10 shirts to cows,” he said.