Burma has been ruled by a military regime for over five decades and every democratic phenomenon has been destroyed. Similarly the country's education system has been eroded. It is a centralised system and every sector of education is controlled by the military regime. It is prohibited to exercise fundamental human rights. Much discrimination, repression and exclusion exist. As Burma has many ethnic minorities, automatically their right to promote their language is revoked as they do not have the right to access education in their mother tongue. Student unions are not legally recognised.
In 2014, the controversial education law which does not recognise student unions as legal entities was enacted by the parliament. It does not follow the UN’s recommendation standards for budget allocation and it does not allow students to participate in political activities. ABFSU has never accepted any repression of the education system and maintains its opposition to the centralised education system. The demand of the ABFSU is for democratic education which can create a democratic society.
We believe that education is a basic fundamental human right and essential for the exercise of all other human rights. It promotes individual freedom and empowerment and yields important development benefits. We also believe that we should have the right to enjoy access to good quality education, without discrimination or exclusion. However, asking for a good education is a crime in Burma.
We protested peacefully against the new education bill, marching the long distance from Mandalay to Yangon. After a series of dialogues, the government and the parliament promised to guarantee democratic standards in the new education bill and not to take action against the students who demanded the changes. However, the government has broken its own promise and used excessive force in a brutal crack-down on the student protests and has destroyed everything owned by the students. The police attacked the students like enemies. 127 students were detained.
On this subject, I would like to mention a little more about the role of the EU and how the EU is giving special trainings to the Burmese police force on how to control the riots and violence. However, the Burmese government used the trainees in the crack-down on the students. The Burmese government used them to create the violence and in the repression of fundamental human rights. The EU has said that they are not police trained by the EU, but the Burmese government has said that they controlled the situation using the EU’s trainings.
Now, over 50 students have been left behind bars for over eight months. Nearly one hundred student activists have been charged under unjust laws and there is no legal justice for the students. The judicial system is totally controlled by the government and judges make decisions according to orders from above. We at the ABSFU demand justice for all the victims of state violence!
We believe that education is a basic fundamental human right and essential for the exercise of all other human rights. However, asking for a good education is a crime in Burma.
