Nearly a decade has passed since the mass displacement of the Rohingya people from Myanmar forced hundreds of thousands to seek refuge across the border in Bangladesh. In August 2017, a brutal military crackdown in Myanmar’s Rakhine State drove more than 700,000 Rohingya to flee their homes and settle in refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar. Today, Bangladesh hosts over one million Rohingya refugees, making it one of the largest and most protracted refugee situations in the world.

Much of the global attention on the Rohingya crisis has focused on urgent humanitarian needs such as food aid, shelter, sanitation and security. While these issues remain critically important, one dimension of the crisis continues to receive far less attention than it deserves: education. Yet education is arguably the most decisive factor in shaping the long-term future of the Rohingya population and the stability of the broader region.

In the crowded camps of Cox’s Bazar, more than half a million Rohingya children are currently of school-going age. For many of them, the opportunity to receive a proper education remains limited or nonexistent. While humanitarian organizations have established learning centers throughout the camps, these facilities typically provide only basic instruction in literacy, numeracy and life skills. They are not formal schools, and the education they offer does not lead to recognized certification or clear pathways toward secondary education.

This means that hundreds of thousands of Rohingya children are growing up without access to structured, accredited schooling. As the years pass, this gap in education is becoming increasingly difficult to close. What is emerging is the alarming possibility of an entire generation being deprived of the skills and knowledge necessary to build a stable future.

The consequences of such educational deprivation are profound. Children who grow up without access to proper schooling face significant long-term challenges. They are more vulnerable to exploitation, trafficking and involvement in criminal activities. Without education, they lack the tools needed to pursue employment or participate productively in society. In refugee settings, where poverty and uncertainty already shape daily life, the absence of educational opportunities can intensify frustration and hopelessness among young people.

This situation does not only affect the Rohingya community itself. It also has broader implications for regional stability. When large populations of young people are left without education or employment prospects, the risk of social unrest, radicalization and cross-border instability increases. In that sense, the Rohingya education crisis is not simply a humanitarian issue; it is also a security challenge that could affect South and Southeast Asia in the coming decades.

Bangladesh has played an extraordinary humanitarian role by opening its borders and hosting the Rohingya population. Despite limited resources and a dense population of its own, the country has provided shelter, food and protection to more than a million displaced people. The government has consistently emphasized that the Rohingya must eventually return to Myanmar, and that the refugee presence in Bangladesh should remain temporary.

However, the lack of education for Rohingya children could ultimately undermine the goal of repatriation. If an entire generation grows up without schooling or professional skills, their ability to rebuild communities in Myanmar will be severely limited. Education is not only about individual opportunity; it is also about preparing future citizens to participate in the reconstruction of their society.

Simply put, if Rohingya children cannot study today, they will struggle to rebuild Myanmar tomorrow.

Despite this reality, the current education system in the Cox’s Bazar camps remains inadequate for the scale of the challenge. Many learning centers operate with limited funding, insufficient teaching materials and overcrowded classrooms. Humanitarian agencies often face financial uncertainty, as education programs depend heavily on annual donor contributions that fluctuate from year to year.

In addition, political and logistical constraints make it difficult to establish traditional school systems within the camps. Bangladesh is understandably cautious about building permanent infrastructure that could signal long-term settlement. At the same time, constructing and staffing enough conventional schools to educate more than 500,000 children would require massive financial and administrative resources.

These challenges highlight the need for innovative approaches to education in displacement settings. Traditional classroom models alone cannot address the scale of the Rohingya education gap. Instead, new systems that combine technology, community engagement and flexible learning structures may offer a more sustainable solution.

Digital learning platforms, for example, could significantly expand access to education in the camps. Tablets or shared digital devices loaded with educational content can allow students to learn even where physical classroom space is limited. Offline learning technologies are particularly valuable in areas with weak internet connectivity, ensuring that lessons remain accessible without requiring continuous online access.

Blended learning models-where local facilitators support students while qualified teachers deliver lessons remotely-can also help overcome the shortage of trained educators in the camps. Through recorded lectures, virtual classrooms and digital assessment tools, students can follow standardized curricula while still benefiting from guidance within their local learning centers.

Such approaches are already being tested in refugee settings around the world, from the Middle East to parts of Africa. When carefully designed, they can provide scalable and cost-effective education systems capable of reaching large displaced populations.

Equally important is the issue of accreditation. Education programs must ensure that Rohingya students receive qualifications recognized internationally. Without recognized certification, years of study may still leave students unable to pursue higher education or employment opportunities.

Providing internationally transferable curricula would also align with Bangladesh’s policy position on repatriation. If Rohingya children study subjects and programs that remain relevant beyond Bangladesh’s borders, their education will prepare them for life in Myanmar or in other potential host countries. This approach avoids integrating refugees into the Bangladeshi national education system while still giving them meaningful opportunities to learn.

Long-term financing is another essential component of any sustainable education strategy. Education initiatives in Cox’s Bazar cannot depend on unpredictable short-term funding cycles. Instead, they require a stable financing architecture involving bilateral donors, international organizations, philanthropic institutions and regional partners.

Countries across the Muslim world, as well as global development institutions, have a strong interest in supporting Rohingya education. Investing in education today is far more cost-effective than dealing with the long-term consequences of neglect. Refugee crises that produce generations without schooling often lead to greater migration pressures, economic instability and security challenges in the future.

Education should therefore be viewed as a strategic investment rather than merely a humanitarian expense.

For Myanmar, the stakes are equally high. The eventual return of the Rohingya will only be sustainable if those returning possess the knowledge and skills needed to rebuild communities, restore local economies and participate in national life. A generation deprived of education would make that process far more difficult and could prolong instability in Rakhine State for decades.

Time, however, is running out. The longer Rohingya children remain outside formal education systems, the harder it becomes to reintegrate them into learning. Adolescents who have already missed years of schooling are far less likely to return to education later in life. Each year that passes widens the gap between these children and the opportunities they deserve.

In the camps of Cox’s Bazar today, hundreds of thousands of Rohingya children continue to wait for a future that remains uncertain. They wait for classrooms that have yet to be built, for teachers who have yet to be trained and for qualifications that could open doors to new possibilities.

Above all, they wait for the world to recognize that their education is not a secondary issue within the Rohingya crisis. It is the central issue that will determine whether the next decade brings hope or instability.

The choice before policymakers and the international community is clear. Either invest now in an education system capable of reaching Rohingya children at scale, or face the long-term consequences of a generation left behind.

History repeatedly shows that refugee crises do not simply fade away when global attention shifts elsewhere. They evolve, reshape societies and influence regional dynamics for decades. The Rohingya crisis is now entering that critical stage.

What happens to Rohingya children today will shape the future not only of their community but of the wider region as well. Education will ultimately determine whether that future is defined by recovery, resilience and rebuilding-or by instability and lost opportunity.

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