Today marks seven years since the Rohingya crisis began, following a violent campaign of terror, rape, and destruction in Myanmar’s Rakhine State. In August 2017, approximately 700,000 Rohingya people, half of them children, were forced to flee their homes and seek refuge in neighbouring Bangladesh. This exodus created what is now the world’s largest refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar, where close to a million people live in precarious conditions.
The scale of this humanitarian disaster is immense. While the Bangladeshi government and various international partners have made considerable efforts to provide for the refugees, resources are stretched thin, and access to essential services remains limited. Education, a fundamental right for all children, has been a significant focus of these efforts, yet remains critically underfunded.
Yasmine Sherif, Executive Director of Education Cannot Wait (ECW), a United Nations global fund for education in emergencies, highlighted the ongoing challenges faced by the Rohingya people in a statement marking this sombre anniversary. She described the crisis as an “abomination for humanity” and called for increased global attention and resources to address the urgent educational needs of Rohingya children.
Since November 2017, ECW, in collaboration with strategic donor partners, government bodies, UN agencies, and civil society organisations, has provided over US$50 million in funding to support education initiatives in Cox’s Bazar. These efforts have reached more than 325,000 children, providing them with learning materials, financial support for teachers, and the rehabilitation of classrooms and temporary learning spaces.
Sherif emphasised the importance of education in the context of the Rohingya crisis, noting that it offers not only learning opportunities but also a sense of normalcy, security, and hope in an otherwise dire situation. “For refugee girls like Jannat,” she said, “these investments mean nutritious school meals, integrated learning opportunities, catch-up classes, and security and solace in a world gone mad.”
However, despite these efforts, the crisis is in danger of being forgotten by the international community. The Rohingya Humanitarian Crisis Joint Response Plan for 2024 calls for a total of US$852 million in funding, with US$68 million specifically allocated for education. To date, only US$287 million has been raised, and worryingly, just 12.8% of the required education funding has been secured, according to the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
Sherif stressed the broader impact of investing in education, arguing that it contributes to health, food security, and skills development, which are all essential for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. “Our investment in their education is an investment in peace, enlightenment and security across the region,” she stated. “Above all, it is an investment in the Rohingya people’s rights and other persecuted groups that face human rights abuses and attacks the world over.”
As the world reflects on the seven-year anniversary of the Rohingya crisis, Sherif called for accountability for those responsible for the atrocities and urged the global community to create conditions for the safe return of the Rohingya to Myanmar. She also made a passionate plea for urgent additional resources to support education for Rohingya children and others caught in crises worldwide.
The Rohingya crisis remains one of the most pressing humanitarian challenges of our time, and Sherif’s message is clear: the world must not forget these children and their right to education, a vital steppingstone towards a more secure and hopeful future.
