3,00,000 Rohingya children begin new school year in refugee camps: Unicef
The Unicef appealed to its partners and donors for $33 million to urgently support education for Rohingya refugee children in the 2023-24 academic year
Against the odds of displacement, fires burning down learning centres, and Cyclone Mocha's wrath, a record 300,000 children have enrolled for the 2023-24 school year in the Rohingya refugee camp, according to the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef).
On the day, the Unicef appealed to its partners and donors for $33 million to urgently support education for Rohingya refugee children in the academic year, the UN agency said in a press statement issued on Sunday (23 July).
"Rohingya refugee children want to learn, and to turn their hopes and dreams for a better future to actual potential," said Sheldon Yett, UNICEF Representative to Bangladesh.
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"The single most important ingredient for ensuring a safe and dignified return of these children to Myanmar is ensuring that they can continue their education while they are here in Bangladesh," he added.
He called on partners and donors to stand by UNICEF as the agency continued to work to provide education for every Rohingya refugee child.
Meanwhile, the new academic year marks the first time that Rohingya refugee children of all ages will be studying under the Myanmar Curriculum.
The curriculum, since its launch in 2021, has gradually been expanded with grades 3-5.
On Sunday, it was introduced to grade 10 Sunday for the first time in the Cox's Bazar refugee camps, significantly increasing learning opportunities for both older and younger children, according to Unicef.
Besides, a dedicated campaign has brought more than 13,000 children who were out of school into the classroom. Efforts to support adolescent girls to continue their education are key to the record attendance this year.
One million refugees – half of them children – have lived in the densely populated camps in Bangladesh since 2017 when they fled violence and persecution in neighbouring Myanmar.
Education for Rohingya refugee children is provided through 3,400 learning centres – 2,800 of which are supported by UNICEF – as well as through community-based learning facilities.
