Arakan News Agency | Exclusive
Arakan Buddhist militia (Arakan Army) controlling Arakan state, western Myanmar, have imposed expensive schooling fees solely on Rohingya students in Buthidaung township, while Rakhine Buddhist students learn free of charge.
Local resident told Arakan News Agency that according to decisions of Arakan militias, Rohingya families are required to pay 10,000 Myanmar Kyat (US$2.5) monthly for each student to attend schools recently reopened in the city under the control of the militia.
The schools reopened in late June after being closed for nearly a year due to clashes. These schools are run by local teachers, both Rakhine and Rohingya, who instead of receiving salaries from the authorities, are getting paid through fees collected from Rohingya students.
Hamida, a 45-year-old mother, told Arakan News Agency that the payments are unaffordable. “I have four students, but I can’t even eat my daily food. How can I give them 40,000 kyat just for school? since the militia took control of Buthidaung, we cannot move freely and we have no work”, she added.
The AA took control of Buthidaung Township on 18 May 2024 after widespread destruction and arson of Rohingya towns, forcing many Rohingyas to flee after losing their homes and belongings.
Arakan militias seized control of Buthidaung in May of last year, following widespread destruction and burning of villages that forced Rohingya to flee. This was part of a military campaign launched by the militias in November 2023 against the Myanmar military to control the state. They subsequently seized control of 14 of the 17 towns. The conflict has also affected the Rohingya, who have been subjected to violence, forced displacement, and persecution by both sides. They were also subjected to a “genocidal” campaign by the Myanmar military in 2017, which forced nearly a million of them to flee to Bangladesh.
