In search for education for Rohingya children

As schools remain closed across the world to contain the spread of COVID-19, students like Shefuka are trying to adapt to their new reality. However, studying from home in a refugee shelter without access to electricity is far more challenging than most places.

Nine-year-old Shefuka lives in the Rohingya refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh with her mother and three siblings. Their father is no longer around.

“I feel very sad that our learning centre is closed. I cannot continue my study like before. I miss my classmates and my teachers,” says Shefuka.

“I read books, draw pictures, and play the games we learned at our learning centre with my brother and sisters. But I feel bored staying at home all the time,” she adds.

Shefuka’s mother Fatema sees the value in education and wants a better life for her children. As a female head of family, she faces many challenges. She places a strong emphasis on education, particularly for her daughters. 

“I believe women were not created to do house chores only. Women should be educated, then the whole of society will benefit. I always encourage my daughters to study. For me, it’s very difficult to provide food and take care of my children. We survive somehow but it is a struggle,” says Fatema. 

I feel very sad that our learning centre is closed. I cannot continue my study like before. I miss my classmates and my teachers.

Moving towards caregiver-led home-based learning

Together with all the education institutions in Bangladesh, learning centres in the Rohingya refugee camps closed on 17 March 2020 to minimize the risk of a COVID-19 outbreak. The closures affect 315,000 Rohingya children, 216,000 of whom attend UNICEF’s network of 2,500 learning centres.

“We rushed to find alternatives to sustain children’s education. But it’s difficult to implement caregiver led learning because refugees have little access to technology in the camps. This greatly limits our options for the delivery of home-based learning activities,” says Charles Avelino, UNICEF’s Education Manager, Cox’s Bazar.

Another challenge is that Bangladeshi teachers can no longer enter the refugee camps. Services have been drastically scaled down to minimize risks of disease transmission in the congested camps and this includes the reduction of the footprint of humanitarian workers.

UNICEF now relies on Rohingya volunteer teachers to continue education through learning activities, which require support from parents and caregivers.

“We have provided guidelines for Rohingya volunteer teachers and parents to deliver caregiver-led learning. We also provide pictorial books, audio messages and workbooks for children. We have not reached all Rohingya households yet, but we are trying to get there by supporting Rohingya teachers,” says Avelino.