Rebuilding Myanmar’s universities from the borderlands in resistance

Following the 2021 coup, Myanmar’s higher education system has fractured, with military-controlled universities widely rejected. In response, ethnic education providers and ‘Spring Universities’ have emerged as experimental spaces of resistance, blending education, activism and cross-border collaboration. While these initiatives are growing rapidly, they face limited accreditation and recognition. International support is needed to expand access and legitimacy while avoiding prescriptive external models of Myanmar’s educational future.