Examining the right to higher education in Kachin State amidst protracted conflict

Since 2021, non-state, there has been a growing demand for ethnic education institutions among communities unable or unwilling to send their children to Myanmar government schools. Non-state ethnic education providers are increasingly absorbing a growing number of students in liberated territories, exposing new and systemic challenges within the ethnic education systems, where Ethnic Basic Education Providers (EBEPs) and Ethnic Higher Education Institutes (EHEIs) are tasked with fulfilling the right to education. Drawing on data gathered through surveys and focus group discussions and applying Tibbitts’ (2024) interpretation of Tomaševski’s (2010) 4-As framework, this article argues that EHEI faculty and students in Kachin State play a critical role as human rights actors in ensuring the right to education. The paper provides valuable insights into educational debates surrounding higher education development in conflict-affected contexts.