Staying the Course: Understanding How Students, Teachers, and Communities Sustain Education in Conflict-Affected Myanmar

Lugyi No

This dissertation examines how education is sustained in Myanmar following the 2021 military coup, which triggered the collapse of state schooling and the large-scale displacement of children and educators. In the absence of formal support, communities have organized non-state, community-led schools that continue to provide learning under conditions of violence, insecurity, and severe resource constraints. This study asks how students, teachers, and communities work together to keep education alive in such settings. Structured as a three-article dissertation, the study investigates educational continuity across multiple levels. The first article explores how students remain engaged in learning through motivation, emotional regulation, and support from families, peers, and teachers. The second examines how teachers sustain commitment and professional purpose despite stress, displacement, and limited institutional support. The third analyzes how communities mobilize trust, networks, and collective action to organize and sustain schooling when the state is absent. Using mixed methods, including surveys, interviews, and focus groups, this dissertation integrates Resilience Theory and Social Capital Theory to develop a framework for understanding resilient educational ecosystems in active conflict zones. The study contributes rare empirical evidence from inside conflict-affected Myanmar and offers insights for scholars, policymakers, and practitioners seeking to support community-led education in other fragile and crisis-affected contexts.

About Lugyi No

Lugyi No is a Ph.D. candidate in Research and Evaluation in Education at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. His research focuses on educational resilience and community-led schooling in conflict-affected settings, particularly in Myanmar. His dissertation examines how students, teachers, and communities sustain education in the absence of formal state systems following the 2021 military coup. Lugyi employs mixed methods to explore the role of motivation, teacher engagement, and social capital in maintaining learning under crisis conditions. In addition to his academic work, Lugyi serves as Programs and Evaluation Manager at the Massachusetts Baptist Multicultural Ministries (MBMM) and the ACE Center for New Americans, where he supports immigrant and refugee communities through education, mentorship, and community-based initiatives. His work bridges research and practice, with a focus on advancing equitable and context-sensitive education systems in fragile and conflict-affected environments.