Economic Hardship and Migration Drive Surge in School Dropout Rates in Thaton
School dropout rates are soaring in several villages across Mon State’s Thaton Township as teenagers increasingly abandon their education to seek employment abroad, local teachers told CJ Platform.
The trend has intensified since the 2021 military coup, with students aged 13 and older being the most affected as the country’s economic crisis deepens. Many of these youths migrate to neighboring Thailand for work, while others join their parents in local manual labor sectors like rubber tapping and brick kilns due to financial instability at home.
“Dropouts are most common in the higher grades, but even children as young as second grade are leaving,” said a local teacher from a village in Thaton. “Parents can no longer afford to keep them in school. Many head to Bangkok, or follow their families to work in rubber plantations and brick kilns. By the end of the school year, we often find that only a third of the original students remain.”
According to a 2025 report by ISP-Myanmar, approximately 7 million school-age children in Myanmar have lost access to basic education since the coup, accounting for 53 percent of the total student population. National enrollment has plummeted from over 9.7 million in the 2019-2020 academic year to just 6.1 million for 2025-2026.
The crisis is also reflected in higher education. University entrance exam candidates have dropped significantly, from over 900,000 in 2020 to around 200,000 in 2025.
Local residents and educators expressed deep concern over the lost potential of these children. “We want them to finish school, but in the current state of the country, many wonder if the existing education system can even offer them a better future,” a local resident close to the affected families said. “Even if they must move to another country, we hope they can somehow continue their education there, though we know how difficult that is.”
Beyond economic factors, the ongoing conflict has further crippled the education sector. In many areas, schools remain closed, and some that are open have been forced to build bomb shelters to protect students from the junta’s frequent airstrikes.
While the junta leader, Min Aung Hlaing, acknowledged in a 2023 ceremony that poverty is a primary reason for children losing their education, critics argue that the socio-political instability following the coup is the underlying cause of this widespread poverty.
Note: This news has been translated and presented using AI.