This page is referenced by:

• 1 2021-05-12T14:40:08-04:00 Rohingya Refugees in Bangladesh 14 Read more about Rohingya and the challenges they face in Bangladesh image_header 2021-05-18T12:46:52-04:00

  Nearly seven hundred and fifty thousand Rohingya refugees have fled to Bangladesh. 400,000 are children¹. This group, over half of the population that inhabits the 34 refugee camps that make up Cox’s Bazar, is in a crucial phase of development, and needs focused support from not only the Bangladeshi government, but also from the NGOs that work on the ground in these camps.

  According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), prioritizing basic assistance to all those inhabiting the camps has allowed the terrible living conditions of the camp to somewhat stabilize, including provision of water access and sanitation aid, as well as basic shelter supplies such as tents, tarps, and blankets². In addition to these basic necessities, humanitarian organizations have also rallied around protecting this vulnerable population from the monsoon season to which they are particularly exposed in Cox’s Bazar. Because their shelters are temporary and makeshift, they are more heavily impacted by the heavy rain and winds that come with monsoons, flooding their shelters, and creating massive landslides on the steep embankments on which the shelters are created³. Humanitarian organizations are now essentially working to undo the difficult living conditions that have been created for the Rohingya by establishing refugee camps in these geographically challenging locations.

  Additionally, the Bangladeshi government has been overwhelmed by this influx of refugees. According to the UNHCR, while Bangladesh has responded admirably to the crisis, opening its borders to over seven hundred thousand Rohingya, the country’s infrastructure and resources are being overextended⁴. This isn’t the only difficulty that the Bangladeshi government faces - they also must decide how to integrate this large population into the Bangladeshi infrastructure. A prime area of contention is the extent to which Rohingya children should be included in the Bangladeshi education system. Only recently, as of January 2020, did the government decided to provide education following the Myanmar curriculum to children under the age of 14, and skills development to those older than 14⁵. Of course, implementation of this plan has been heavily impacted due to the impacts of Covid-19, forcing most students to leave schools to avoid spread of the virus⁶.

• 1 2021-05-12T14:50:50-04:00 What Can You Do? 14 An advocacy introduction plain 1434 2021-05-19T16:17:58-04:00 While the response to the Rohingya refugee crisis is generally poor, the services given to Rohingya children need particular attention, based on observations from previous case studies. Specifically, the response to this crisis parallels humanitarian organizations’ treatment of the Palestinian refugee crisis. In her article “Incredibly Difficult, Tragically Needed, and Absorbingly Interesting”, Jo Kelcey points out that in Palestine, the UN set the foundation for temporary humanitarian aid, deemphasizing education. However, over half a century later, these temporary humanitarian band-aids have become the foundations for a support system for the hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinian refugees that are still unable to return to their homes¹. This foundation means that Palestinian refugee students face constant uncertainty in their education, a place where they should have a right to consistency and safety. Organizations working on the Rohingya crisis should learn from the mistakes of organizations responding to this crisis.

  It is of utmost importance that basic survival needs of the Rohingya people be met in these insecure camps that have become more permanent residences. This has been what NGOs and UN organizations have been putting their efforts towards for the past decade². However, we cannot lose sight of the future, and the need to provide Rohingya with the tools to establish a strong and thriving community. Education is a central element of this. Linked below are outlines of two advocacy materials that could be used to encourage NGOs to take a more vested interest in education of Rohingya refugees living in Bangladesh.

  
  

  However, it is not only the responsibility of these organizations to improve the living conditions of Rohingya refugees. The Bangladeshi government has recently changed their stance on education for Rohingya children in Cox’s Bazar, providing curriculum that aligns with the Myanmar curriculum³. This is a step in the right direction, and the Ministry of Education should continue to work towards full integration of the Burmese curriculum in their schools, not just at the primary school level, but in upper grades as well.

  In addition, private citizens should also make an effort to educate themselves on this issue, and there are a number of ways that they can contribute to improving the lives of Rohingya refugees. Aside from making an effort to have a baseline understanding of the conflict, individuals can stay up to date on current events in the region, and encourage friends and colleagues to do the same. This will ensure that the issue stays relevant, and that organizations working in Bangladesh will continue to work towards solutions.

• 1 2021-05-12T14:52:04-04:00 Advocacy Material #2 10 Op-Ed plain 1434 2021-05-19T16:51:39-04:00

  Of the 750,000 Rohingya refugees living in Bangladesh, 400,000 are children¹. They have escaped from the destruction of their homes and villages at the hands of the Burmese government by walking for days, or by making the dangerous trek across the Bay of Bengal. When they finally reach Bangladesh, they’ll settle in the refugee camps of Cox’s Bazar, left with severe emotional trauma after witnessing unspeakable atrocities.

  These children deserve access not only to basic necessities to survive, but also have the right to education, which can give them a safe place to process the horrors that they have experienced, and to begin to recover from them, while also growing into contributing members of their communities, able to help advocate for the Rohingya people and their condition both as refugees and as native citizens of Myanmar.

  While the Bangladeshi government has been hesitant to support Burmese curriculum in their schools, a recent update to government policy supports teaching Myanmar’s curriculum to primary school students². Now is the time to capitalize on these legislative changes, before these students fall even farther behind due to the combination of Covid-19 and pre-existing factors brought about by their exile from Myanmar. As such, non-governmental humanitarian organizations in the region need to offer their wealth of financial and material resources to help facilitate this process.

  With more research, an apt anecdote about a specific Rohingya child benefitting from targeted educational programs could be inserted into the op-ed here. For reference, see the second section of this article, titled “Renewed hope for Rohingya refugee children”. (For whatever reason, you'll need to click "Remove this header" at the top right to be taken to be able to see the article).

  Access to education, aside from being a fundamental human right guaranteed by the 1990 Convention on the Rights of the Child, is also fundamental to any child’s future success³. It’s not something that can be put off or delayed, because lost or squandered time is difficult to make up. We’ve all had the unique opportunity to see this phenomenon in the last year, when all children have been forced out of school, or into unusual school circumstances, for some amount of time. So now, we can all empathize with the difficulties that Rohingya children face, and understand that education can’t be delayed. Organizations need to create action plans now, to outline how they intend to support Rohingya children and meet their needs - academically, socially, and psychologically.