by SADAQUE NOOR
The Rohingya, a predominantly Muslim ethnic minority from Myanmar’s Rakhine State, have long faced systematic persecution, statelessness and human rights abuses. Among the myriad challenges confronting this community, the denial of education stands out as a profound injustice with far-reaching consequences.
Its roots are deeply embedded in Myanmar’s society and political landscape. Despite evidence suggesting their presence in the region for centuries, the Rohingya have been systematically marginalised and denied citizenship under Myanmar’s 1982 Citizenship Law. This has rendered them ineligible for many basic rights, including access to formal education.
In the decades following the country’s independence in 1948, successive governments severely restricted the Rohingya’s access to education by limiting enrolment in public schools, segregating Rohingya students, denying them the right to higher education and other policies.
The situation deteriorated further after the 2012 Rakhine State riots, which led to the displacement of thousands and the segregation of communities. Many Rohingya children were confined to internally displaced persons camps, where educational facilities were either non-existent or grossly inadequate.
The crisis escalated dramatically in August 2017 when a brutal military crackdown, described at the time by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights as a “textbook example of ethnic cleansing”, forced more than 1 million Rohingya to flee to neighbouring Bangladesh. This mass exodus had a devastating impact. Children, who constitute a significant portion of the refugee population, found themselves in overcrowded camps with limited access to schooling.
In the immediate aftermath, humanitarian organisations scrambled to establish learning centres within the refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. UNICEF reported that, by January 2019, more than 145,000 Rohingya children were attending these centres. However, classes were often conducted in makeshift structures and lacked trained teachers and standardised curricula. Moreover, some centres taught in Burmese, others in English, and a few in the Rohingya language, leading to inconsistencies in learning outcomes.
Bangladesh, India, Malaysia, Indonesia
The ongoing educational crisis among Rohingya refugees is exacerbated by the Bangladeshi government, which has imposed restrictions on formal education within the camps, with the aim of preventing Rohingya refugees from settling there permanently. In December 2021,authorities ordered the closure of home-based and community-led schools, affecting approximately 30,000 children. This decision was part of a broader policy to limit educational opportunities and discourage integration.
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