Rakhine language curriculum offered in schools located in territory under Arakan Army control

The political wing of the Arakan Army (AA), the United League of Arakan (ULA), stated on Wednesday that Grade 12 students living in territory under its control are now able to study the Rakhine language as a course, as well as a language of instruction, starting this academic year, which began in July. A teacher in Chin State’s Paletwa Township, which was seized by the AA in 2024, told DVB on the condition of anonymity that students in Paletwa can choose to study Burmese language as a course in Grade 12 if they don’t want to learn Rakhine. The language of instruction for students Grade 1-11 is Burmese. The Global Khumi Organization accused the ULA of “forcing” students in Paletwa to learn the Rakhine language. Paletwa is known for its ethnic and linguistic diversity, as its home to several Myanmar ethnic nationalities. A total of 158 students—138 ethnic Rakhine, 16 ethnic Khumi, three ethnic Daingnet and one ethnic Mro—are attending Grade 12 in Paletwa this academic year, according to the ULA’s Department of Education. Paletwa’s population is nearly 100,000, including more than 80,000 ethnic Chin, including Khumi Chin, over 18,000 Rakhine, and around 3,000 from other ethnic nationalities, including ethnic Bamar, according to the Chin State General Administration Department’s census data in 2020. Besides Paletwa, the AA has seized 14 out of 17 townships in neighbouring Arakan State since it launched a statewide offensive in 2023. It has been fighting with regime forces over control of the state capital Sittwe and the port town of Kyaukphyu since February 2025. Teachers in Arakan told DVB that the ULA removed Burmese history from the curriculum in 2024, with only world history being taught. “Some schools teach Rakhine history because some questions on it are included in exams. The official history curriculum has not yet been released,” a high school teacher in the AA-controlled territory told DVB on the condition of anonymity. The teacher added that the Rakhine language will also replace Burmese as a subject in other grade levels. Academics regard Rakhine as a regional dialect of Burmese, with differences in pronunciation, vocabulary and usage. Both languages use the same script, although Rakhine has some different spelling conventions. The ULA uses Rakhine as its official language in territory under AA control. The post Rakhine language curriculum offered in schools located in territory under Arakan Army control appeared first on DVB.