Members of the Myanmar’s military security force patrol a street in Yangon on February 1, 2024. (PHOTO / AFP)

YANGON - More than 1.34 million students who had enrolled in basic education schools across the country for the 2023-24 academic year are currently out of school, the official daily Myanma Alinn reported on Thursday.

The report cited Myanmar's State Administration Council Chairman Senior General Min Aung Hlaing as saying at a meeting on Wednesday that it is 16.5 percent of the over 8.1 million students who had enrolled in basic education schools across the country for the 2023-24 academic year.

Min Aung Hlaing also mentioned that it is clear that the students being out of school are the result of a lack of peace and instability, according to the report

He added that the students who were out of school for various reasons came from certain parts of Kayin state, Chin state, Kayah state, Rakhine state, and northern Shan state, the report said.

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Min Aung Hlaing also mentioned that it is clear that the students being out of school are the result of a lack of peace and instability, it said.

Additionally, 26,281 university students or 23.3 percent of the 112,968 university students at the beginning of the 2023-24 academic year are also currently out of school, the report said.

It also said that most of the university students who were out of school came from Chin state, Rakhine state and northern Shan state.

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Myanmar's 2023-24 academic year for basic education schools started around June last year and will continue to around March this year.