ABSTRACT
This chapter will examine the role of university students in Myanmar who, after the demonstrations in 1988 and the resulting fragmentation of universities were forced into exile. It tracks the experience of those who returned more than 20 years' later to play a leading role in the transition to democracy. It looks particularly at the obstacles they faced in accessing education through the state university system, the strategies they used to continue their studies during this period and their eventual contribution to democratic transition, peace processes and educational reform. It identifies the significance of civil society organisations and foreign universities in providing important alternative training in human rights and democracy.
