“It’s difficult to find a teacher on a university campus who is not corrupt,” said May Nyein who is currently living in a Thai border town. In addition, she said that the government systematically destroys students by allowing them to indulge in any wrongdoings—even if that means crime.

“30 percent of the students are on drugs - some students even trade drugs - including amphetamines, and another 30 percent are gamblers,” she said. “The authorities know about all this but don’t take any action.”

May Nyein alleged that authorities allow students to do whatever they want, with the exception of engaging in political activities. “Students have been deliberately spoiled by the government and university authorities,” she said emotionally. 

However, the lecturer said, the authorities take action against students who publish booklets of poems or short stories. The authorities are afraid those publications will provoke political activities among students. She added that the education system is also being ruined by continuously changing curricula.

“The education system of our country is always being tested” added the scholar Dr Thein Lwin. “An education system should be implemented through inclusive discussion by not only authorities but also teachers, scholars and students.”      

Yet the junta’s Police Chief Brig-Gen blames the businessmen, warning them “to stay away from committing crimes that will ruin the students, who are the nation’s future.”