The medical student was taking a shower near his home in the jungles of eastern Myanmar when he heard a military jet fly overhead. Dressed only in his underpants, he rushed to the shelter. But there he faced another danger: a black snake. Grabbing the stick, he killed him before he could bite him.

“It was terrifying,” said Khuu Nay Reh Win, 21, who was inspired to become a surgeon after working as a medic in the rebel army. “The fear of death from snakebite is as real as the fear of bombs.”

Such is student life at the Karenni Faculty of Medicine, a school founded two years ago in territory controlled by rebel forces. The campus, with classrooms and dormitories made of thatched bamboo, was built deep in the jungle by the professors and students themselves.

It is one of 18 small universities, colleges and academies established in rebel-held territory in the four years since Myanmar’s military overthrew the country’s civilian leaders and seized power in a coup, according to anti-junta officials in the country’s five regions. They lack funds for much-needed equipment and supplies, and their facilities are simple. But we hope that these schools can help create the foundations for a new democratic society in the country.

“We opened without waiting for the revolution to end because we were concerned that if young people were cut off from education for too long, they might change paths, face learning delays and miss opportunities for higher education,” said Dr. Myo Khant Ko Ko, founder and president of Karenni Medical College.

The civil war in Myanmar has disrupted the rhythm of life in the country. Thousands of people were killed by the army. Tens of thousands of others are imprisoned. Millions became refugees in their own country. and the economy lies in ruins.

The anti-junta forces are a loose alliance of various groups of armed ethnic minorities who have been fighting against the army for years, and units formed recently from the ranks of pro-democracy protesters.

In the past 15 months, ethnic rebel forces achieved numerous victories in the countryside, and anti-junta forces now claim to control more than half of the country’s territory, raising optimism among supporters.

But the junta retains control of Myanmar’s major cities and capital Naypyidaw, as well as much of the country’s wealth and air power. A clear victory remains elusive for the rebels, who lack significant international support, a steady flow of ammunition and, most importantly, a unified command structure, said Anthony Davis, a Bangkok-based security analyst at the Janes military publication group.

The shadow government of national unity recognizes 18 schools, all of which are in ethnic rebel territory, Deputy Education Minister Sai Khaing Myo Tun said. Students pay little or nothing to attend.

Educators are also trying to establish a school system for primary and secondary school students, many of whom live in refugee camps.

Universities and colleges, with student populations ranging from a few dozen to the low hundreds, offer degrees in the sciences, liberal arts, agriculture, law, technology, nursing, and music, among others. Some have connections with foreign universities and send students abroad to study.

In order to avoid air raids, the schools remain as hidden as possible. Some occupied buildings partially damaged by the fighting. Others are hidden in residential areas or hidden under the jungle canopy.

Some students travel to campus from refugee camps where they live with their parents and siblings. Others have enlisted in the rebel forces and attend classes when not fighting.

One school, the Ta’ang Arts Academy in Shan State, is dedicated to ethnic culture and music. His first class has 27 students. The director, Owm Sa Ngarr, said he hopes to preserve local culture by using music “as a medium to heal the psychological trauma faced by people living in conflict zones.”

The biggest challenge, administrators said, was a lack of funds to buy equipment, pay salaries and improve facilities.

But they all live in fear of junta jets and drones.

“Every day we teach under the constant worry of aerial bombardment, listen carefully to the sound of planes and watch the sky anxiously,” said Baby Hsan Chit Su, founder (and professor of chemistry at) Phanshaw University in Karenni State, a liberal arts college that opened in March.

In the days following the 2021 coup, doctors in Mandalay led demonstrations that sparked a nationwide civil disobedience movement. Now some of them are leading efforts to establish medical schools in rebel-held territory.

Khin Maung Lwin, who resigned as rector of the prestigious Mandalay Medical University in protest, founded the School of Medical Sciences in Kachin State in 2023 and hired professors who had participated in the civil disobedience movement.

The school, with about 100 students, was forced to close twice when bombs started falling nearby. Professors and students temporarily moved to a safer area near the Chinese border, where students helped treat the injured.

“Many of these students have gained significant practical experience in the treatment of trauma,” said Dr. Khin Maung Lwin.

Nelly Phoe, 22, who plans to become a surgeon, is typical of the students at Karenni State’s medical school, which is the second to open.

Her family’s house was destroyed by junta artillery. Her mother and younger brother live in a refugee camp. The two older brothers are soldiers in the Karenni Nationalities Defense Force.

But her life is not easy at the jungle medical school.

Once a huge snake crawled past her pillow while she was sleeping. Sometimes, due to inadequate premises, he bathes in a pond where cows drink. When drones and jets fly overhead, she quickly stops studying, turns off the light, and runs to the shelter.

And if the snakes and airstrikes weren’t enough, she and the other students have to contend with local cattle that wander onto campus and eat their laundry. A veterinarian from the region said the cows may have developed an appetite for soap because their diet lacks salt.

Mr Khuu Nay Reh Win, a student who encountered the snake in a bomb shelter, said the cows had eaten all but one shirt and school-issued medical supplies.

“I’ve lost more than 10 shirts to cows,” he said.