The United States and other governments must urgently find funding for education programmes in Myanmar that were a lifeline for students, teachers and families in the war-torn country, Amnesty International said today, as it warned of a “lost generation” if no action is taken.
Testimony from teachers and students gathered by Amnesty International showed the impact on Myanmar students of US President Donald Trump’s sweeping cuts to foreign aid, which included the termination of more than US$70 million in funding for education programmes in Myanmar, according to those involved in the efforts.
“The battering of Myanmar’s education sector since the 2021 military coup has robbed millions of young people of opportunities. These US cuts to education programmes now make the prospect of a lost generation increasingly likely,” said Joe Freeman, Amnesty International’s Myanmar Researcher.
“But it is not too late to fill this vacuum in Myanmar students’ education. Governments and universities in the US and beyond must find a way to enable them to continue their studies and prevent them being sent back to a conflict zone, where they are at risk of arbitrary detention, torture and other ill-treatment; aerial and ground attacks on their communities; and forced conscription into a military that routinely resorts to human rights abuses as a strategy of war.”
The US-funded education programmes, enacted after the coup, supported Myanmar students studying at Southeast Asian universities; online higher education initiatives; and basic education services for children in ethnic, remote and rural communities.
They were a rare bright spot in an ever-deteriorating human rights situation in the country, where to date more than 6,000 civilians have been killed and more than 20,000 detained. In 2025, nearly 20 million people are expected to need humanitarian assistance.
A 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck central Myanmar on 28 March 2025, killing nearly 4,000 people and destroying hospitals, homes, monasteries and at least 1,000 schools, has only exacerbated these needs. It will also create additional hurdles for students seeking an education after more than four years of armed conflict in the country.
“The US cuts to foreign aid made a bad situation worse. The Trump administration must reverse course and not abandon Myanmar students working to fulfill their dreams under extremely challenging circumstances. But if the US continues to fail Myanmar’s young people, other governments, universities and donors must step up and help,” Joe Freeman said.
Myanmar education sector in turmoil
After the Myanmar military seized power on 1 February 2021, teachers and students walked out of schools in protest, entering a parallel education system under the deposed civilian government with new schools built from scratch, using existing buildings such as people’s homes and carried out online.
The military responded by arresting teachers and attacking schools with air strikes, as armed conflict intensified across the country, especially in places where schools in areas outside of military control were functioning. The overall situation led to a sharp decline in enrolment rates, limited access to functioning schools and a shortage in materials for teaching. Against this backdrop the US-funded education programmes carried out vital work to fill the void while also helping shield students, teachers and parents from human rights abuses.
Since late last year, Amnesty International has conducted remote and in-person interviews with more than 50 people involved in education across Myanmar from Chin, Rakhine, Kayah and Karenni States, as well as Magwe, Sagaing and Mandalay Regions and individuals living in exile. They include students, teachers, education officials, parents and survivors of air strikes on schools. All stressed the vital importance of education for the future of the country, despite the constant disruptions in providing it.
One teacher told Amnesty International: “Even when I’m teaching, I’m always on edge, especially when I hear aircraft overhead. There have been moments when I’ve heard the sound of artillery while teaching, which is deeply unsettling.”
Another said: “The main goal now is to prevent any disruption to the children’s learning, so schools have been reopened wherever possible. However, the quality of education isn’t as high as it was before the coup, mainly because of the constant need to relocate due to safety concerns. Teachers and students often have to flee both day and night, which disrupts the learning process.”
Among the most recent interviewees were recipients of a US-funded initiative called the Diversity and Inclusion Scholarship Program (DISP). Launched in 2024, this USD45 million USAID-funded programme aimed to support 1,000 students from Myanmar to study in universities online and across Southeast Asia in Cambodia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand.
But it became an early and very public victim of President Trump’s attacks on anything related to diversity, equity and inclusion. One of his first announcements as president was to cancel the program, singling it out again in his joint remarks to Congress in March.
“While the US administration has falsely portrayed this programme as a prime example of wasteful spending, it is anything but. The students we spoke to describe the programme as providing a safe haven to them in times of war back home and of reinvigorating their dreams,” Joe Freeman said.
Miranda, 18, was in high school when the coup happened, and like other students participated in protests. Her family later fled to eastern Myanmar, where she witnessed gunfights and bombings, eventually crossing over into Thailand to seek shelter.
“When I got the [DISP] scholarship it was like a golden chance for me to start my new life again,” said Miranda, who was pursuing a degree in tourism management in the Philippines.
She had only finished her first semester when the programme was cancelled, making her one of hundreds across the region without support.
“If we have to go back to our country … we will be lost again.”
Oakley, a student from central Myanmar, faces similar challenges. But when he received the DISP scholarship, it gave him hope of a better future.
“I have experienced a lot of bomb explosions, a lot of war around my village. That is really devastating,” he told Amnesty International. “I believed that this was my life-changing opportunity. I feel shocked and so hopeless.”
Students like Miranda and Oakley fear going back to Myanmar, where they could be arrested for supporting anti-coup protests or be among Myanmar’s many victims of air strikes.
“Even though we want to go back to Myanmar, we cannot,” Oakley said. “The situation in Myanmar is not safe anymore.”
