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........

© Blitz