Over 8,000 Children Of Refugees From Myanmar, Bangladesh, Manipur In Mizoram Schools

More than 8,100 children of refugees from Myanmar, Bangladesh, and Manipur have enrolled in Mizoram's government schools, the state's Education Minister Lalchhandama Ralte said on Wednesday.

Mizoram is currently home to around 35,000 refugees from coup-hit Myanmar, over 1,000 from trouble-torn Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) of Bangladesh, and over 12,600 internally-displaced people from the ethnic violence-hit Manipur.  

According to Mr Ralte, of the 8,119 students enrolled in Mizoram's schools, 6,366 are from Myanmar, 250 are from Bangladesh, and 1,503 are from Manipur.

Noting that the Mizoram government is committed to providing education to these children, who belong to the Zo tribes, Mr Ralte said the students have been given school uniforms and textbooks for free and are being served mid-day meals just like the local students.

Around 35,000 Myanmar nationals, including children and women, have taken shelter in Mizoram since February 2021 after the military took over the governance after a coup.

Over 1,000 tribals, fleeing their villages in the Chittagong Hill Tracts over an armed conflict that began last November between the Bangladesh Army and the Kuki-Chin National Army (KNA), have also taken shelter in the state.