Yangon – The Myanmar military’s latest attempt to draw young people into its ranks has stumbled, with newly opened Youth Education Schools attracting far fewer students than planned.

Launched in Yangon’s garrison town of Yemon and in Naypyitaw for the 2026–27 academic year, the schools were designed to take 300 pupils per grade. Yet fewer than 200 have enrolled across all three levels, according to military defectors. Most of those who did sign up are children of serving soldiers, often under pressure to comply.

Parents have largely avoided the scheme, fearing it is little more than a recruitment pipeline. Enrolment obliges students to commit to military service after graduation, and even the free supplies include uniforms. “Sending a child to these schools is the same as handing them over to the army,” one parent said.

To meet quotas, local administrators have reportedly been ordered to target children from poor families and marginalised communities, offering free education and stipends. Analysts say the initiative reflects the junta’s struggle to replenish ranks depleted by casualties and desertions, despite enforcing its Conscription Law mandating service for young men and women.

Defectors compare the programme to the old Ye Nyunt system, abolished in 2014 under international pressure, which recruited teenagers as reserve forces. Critics warn the revival under a new name amounts to recruiting child soldiers. “They are turning education into a recruitment pipeline. This is about enslaving a new generation,” said a veteran politician in Mandalay.

With enrolment far below target, the schools highlight growing resistance among Myanmar families to military influence, even as the junta seeks to tighten its grip on the country’s youth.

-2026-06-10