Improving Education for Rohingya Refugees in Bangladesh

In this seminar we examine the material, financial and political challenges of the education sector in the humanitarian response to the Rohingya, and the potential of the community-led education networks in the camps. What kind of schooling do these networks provide, what are the motivations, competences, strengths and challenges of the networks, and how can they help improve the humanitarian response for the benefit of Rohingya children and youth?

At the seminar we will launch the new PRIO report "We Must Prevent a Lost Generation: Community-led education in Rohingya refugee camps".

Breakfast Seminar (Breakfast is served from 08.15)

Forced displacement represents one of the biggest barriers to achieve Sustainable Development Goal #4 : *"*Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all".

In the fall of 2017, a brutal military campaign forced more than 700 000 Rohingya to leave their homes in Myanmar and seek refuge in Bangladesh, where they continue to live without formal refugee status in overcrowded makeshift camps. In Kutapalong, the largest refugee camp in the world, and in the surrounding camps, the vast majority of the 500 000 Rohingya children are in desperate need of education.

The Government of Bangladesh restricts formal schooling for refugee children and youth, and the lack of political will from the government of Myanmar, combined with the resurge of armed fighting across the Myanmar border, blocks a safe repatriation of the Rohingya any time soon. After two years in displacement, the general lack of education has become a major source of concern and despair for refugees. While international and national NGOs provide some non-formal education in the camps, Rohingya-led networks of community teachers have started up organizing formal schooling classes to prevent a feared "lost generation" of young Rohingya.

In this seminar we examine the material, financial and political challenges of the education sector in the humanitarian response to the Rohingya, and the potential of the community-led education networks in the camps. What kind of schooling do these networks provide, what are the motivations, competences, strengths and challenges of the networks, and how can they help improve the humanitarian response for the benefit of Rohingya children and youth?

The PRIO-led project “Improving education for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh (EducAid)” is funded by the Research Council of Norway (NORGLOBAL-2). The project aims to produce knowledge about how to improve the quality of education programs for displaced conflict-affected populations and mitigating the effects of forced displacement.

Please note, at 17 minutes and 30 seconds a video about a Rashed, a child in pursuit of education in a context where he is not offered formal education, is shown. This video, for those interested, can be seen on YouTube.

Speakers:

Camilla Helgø Fossberg, Assistant Director, Department for Education and Global Health (Norad)

Marte Nilsen, Senior Researcher (PRIO)

Kendra Depuy, Senior Researcher (PRIO)

This seminar is co-hosted by PRIO and the NCHS.