Cox’s Bazar, January 23, 2021. On the occasion of International day of education the day, January 24, 2021, the Cox’s Bazar CSO-NGO Forum (CCNF) has called upon all concerned to take up special rehabilitation programs for local educational institutions and students in Cox’s Bazar affected by the Rohingya influx. In a press release today, the network of 50 local NGOs and civil society organizations active in the promotion of development and human rights in Cox’s Bazar also recommended the introduction of education for Rohingyas with Myanmar curriculum to make Rohingya repatriation sustainable.
According to the press release, some local education institutions were initially used as temporary barracks for military personnel at the beginning of the Rohingya influx in 2017, and many Rohingyas also took refuge in various institutions. As a result, these institutions were shut down their activities for a few months. Many students stopped going to school because of the increasing number of people and the huge congestion of vehicles used in relief programs. Many college students and teachers got the opportunity to join the various organizations involved in the relief program. From one school seven out of ten teachers left school and joined another job. The entire education system is under threat. The statement stated that only 2.6 percent of global the relief program has been allocated to the education sector.
According to the press statement, although Rohingya children aged 6-14 years have been included in the non-formal education program initiated by the Government of Bangladesh and various organizations, 83% of adolescents and youth aged 15-24 years do not participate in any education program. Education programs up to level 1-4 are currently being conducted for more than 300 thousand children and adolescents in approximately 6,000 learning centers. There is a sense of frustration among students and their parents about the lack of educational opportunities for those over 15 years of age and the lack of education in the Myanmar curriculum. Rohingyas want to return to their homeland, but there is also enough interest in higher education among students. But students have been deprived of their regular studies for the last 3 years. They fear that their educational life will become uncertain as they return.
The press release makes several specific recommendations, including:
- Infrastructural development of local educational institutions, recruitment of skilled and trained teachers should be ensured and stakeholders including donors should come forward to ensure special incentives for local students. Technical curriculum in local education and establishment of technical college can be effective in this regard.
- Diplomatic initiatives are needed to ensure that the Rohingya curriculum and that educational activity adopted here are recognized by the Government of Myanmar. The international communities, including the United Nations, need to put pressure on Myanmar.
- We urge the United Nations and international donors to take effective action to ensure the recruitment of adequate teachers and training for them. Many Rohingyas are educated in Cox’s Bazar camps, they can be trained as teachers.
4. involvement of local and foreign educators in the creation of a new and effective curriculum and teacher training is needed. Our universities can play an important role in this respect.
Download [Bangla Press] [English Press] [Statement]
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