By Madara Dias, MHR Program, University of Manitoba
Date: Aug 4, 2025
In the sprawling Rohingya refugee camps of Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, which is a home to nearly one million displaced people education once stood as a symbol of hope. In makeshift schools constructed from bamboo and tarpaulin, children learned English, Burmese, mathematics, and life skills, dreaming of futures beyond the trauma of genocide and exile. But by mid-2025, that dream teetered on the edge of collapse, as an unprecedented funding crisis forced widespread school closures, leaving hundreds of thousands of Rohingya children at risk.
The Early Promise: Expanding Access to Education
Initially, education in the camps was limited to informal learning centers run by humanitarian organizations like UNICEF, Save the Children, and BRAC. By late 2023, these efforts had expanded dramatically. Over 3,200 learning centers were operational across the camps, enrolling approximately 315,000 children aged 4 to 18. These centers offered a non-formal, structured education based on the Learning Competency Framework and Approach (LCFA), and gradually began incorporating the Myanmar curriculum, which was a major step forward for the Rohingya community.
Each classroom typically had two facilitators: one Rohingya community teacher and one host-community teacher. Together, they guided children through literacy, numeracy, Burmese, English, science, and life-skills modules and, for adolescents, basic vocational training. An estimated 8,900 teachers worked in these centers, supported primarily by UNICEF and its partner NGOs.
The Cost of Continuity: Education Under Threat
To sustain this network, humanitarian agencies appealed for a substantial but essential amount of funding. UNICEF alone estimated it needed $45 million annually to maintain primary and adolescent education in the camps. These funds were not merely operational costs, but they covered learning materials, teacher training, child protection mechanisms, and stipends for community instructors.
However, by early 2025, global donor fatigue, shifting geopolitical priorities, and cuts to U.S. and UK foreign aid programs created a funding vacuum. Aid to the Rohingya response fell sharply short of projected needs. Education is often seen as non-lifesaving and it was among the first services to face reduction.
Collapse of a System: Funding Suspensions and Closures
In June 2025, UNICEF and Save the Children officially suspended classes from Kindergarten to Grade 2 in over 6,400 learning centers across the camps. Over 1,100 Bangladeshi host-community teachers lost their jobs overnight, and Rohingya educators were left in limbo.
The closures affected an estimated 400,000 children, many of whom were attending school for the first time in their lives. As centers shuttered and teaching halted, children returned to the claustrophobic confines of overcrowded shelters which led them to idle, anxious, and increasingly vulnerable.
The Hidden Costs: Risks Beyond the Classroom
The impact of school closures goes far beyond disrupted learning. For Rohingya children, education provided a crucial protective environment which shielding them from trafficking, child labor, early and forced marriage, gang recruitment, and emotional trauma.
NGO assessments in mid-2025 indicated a surge in child protection risks:
- Trafficking and child labor cases rose as families, pushed deeper into poverty, sent children to work or across borders.
- Mental health issues spiked among adolescents, many of whom expressed hopelessness about their futures.
- Girls, in particular, were disproportionately affected, with reports of rising early marriage and domestic abuse.
A Ray of Hope: Partial Reopening and Targeted Funding
In late June 2025, following urgent appeals from UNICEF, Save the Children, and Human Rights Watch, a group of donor countries including Germany, Canada, Japan, and the European Commission have pledged emergency funding for Rohingya education.
By mid-July 2025, approximately $22 million had been secured which is enough to reopen some centers serving grades 6 to 8, and to rehire 250 teachers on a temporary basis. However, due to the scale of the education network, these funds only allowed for a partial revival.
Currently:
- Roughly 1,800 learning centers have reopened, focusing on upper-primary and adolescent learners.
- Around 1,400 centers remain closed, particularly for early primary grades.
- Nearly 250,000 children are still out of school, with no guarantee of when they’ll return to school
Where the Money Goes: A Balancing Act
The limited funds now available are being divided cautiously:
- A significant portion is allocated to teacher stipends, school maintenance, and learning materials.
- Child protection staff and community mobilizers have been redeployed in select areas to support psychosocial activities.
- But gaps persist. UNICEF reports that it still needs an additional $18 million to restore education for all affected children.
Moreover, many adolescents over age 15, estimated at 56,000 without access are being left out entirely, as vocational and literacy training programs struggle to resume under limited budgets.
Legal and Policy Barriers
Beyond funding, the education crisis is tied to a deeper structural issue: Rohingya children still have no access to accredited, formal education. The Bangladeshi government prohibits them from attending local schools or receiving official certification. Even when centers are open, what children learn remains non-certified and disconnected from future prospects.
This legal limbo violates the Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which Bangladesh is a party, and undermines long-term development goals. Without education, the entire Rohingya generation is left without tools for self-reliance, return, or integration and no matter where their future lies.
Conclusion:
As of July 2025, the future of Rohingya education hangs in the balance. While donor action has partially revived education services, tens of thousands of children are still out of school. Without immediate, sustained investment and a shift in policy to recognize education as a right, not a privilege as we risk condemning an entire generation to a future without choices.
Education in emergencies is not a luxury. It is a lifeline. And for Rohingya refugee children, it is the only bridge between despair and dignity.