Crisis management by Adventist school administrators during the political crisis in Myanmar : a qualitative case study

Abstract

During the political crisis, Adventist school administrators in central Myanmar faced challenges in operating schools. This qualitative case study explores school administrators’ challenges and how they handled them. This study employs open-ended interviews to identify the key factors of the challenges and how they were managed. The findings show that the primary concerns are financial struggles and security for teachers and students. Students’ enrollment drop led to financial struggles as the schools’ income depends mainly on students’ tuition fees. The unstable political situation interrupted school operations. In response to these challenges, school administrators actively collaborate with community leaders and seek external support to keep the school operating. Notably, the safety of students and teachers was prioritized, and the faith- driven commitment of administrators strengthened their resilience. The study concludes with recommendations for church leaders to take initiative in policy development, equipping leaders, for state leaders to support faith-based schools, and for educational leaders to maintain active communication with stakeholders and to develop a crisis response policy for better crisis management in the future.