The Rakhine State Education Department has assigned over 540 primary school teachers to teach in schools in two Rakhine State townships with high Rohingya populations.
The department announced that the new teachers are all under the age of 35 and will receive military training, if necessary, Eleven reported.
Maungdaw Township has been at the center of “clearance operations” carried out by the Tatmadaw since Rohingya insurgents attacked three police installations on October 9. The Myanmar military has been accused of crimes against humanity for its treatment of Rohingya civilians since the operations began.
Eleven reported that the teachers arrived in Maungdaw on January 14.
Maungdaw education chief Ohn Myint said: “It is necessary to use male, not female, teachers.”
Aung Kyaw Tun, a local education administrator, said 288 teachers were sent to teach in Maungdaw Township, while the remaining 253 were sent to Rathaedaung Township.
A total of 283 female teachers reportedly transferred out of Maungdaw District schools on December 26.
Myanmar police announced in November that they would begin arming and training non-Muslim civilians in Rakhine State to fight Rohingya insurgents.
Myanmar Observer reported earlier this month that military officials met with Rakhine Buddhist leaders in a Ponnagyun Township pagoda and encouraged them to arm themselves against Muslim insurgents.
Rohingya leaders and human rights monitors have said the arming of civilians in Rakhine State risks escalating intercommunal tensions in the area, from which tens of thousands of Rohinyga non-combatants have already been displaced by military operations.
