๐ฅ๐ผ๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ด๐๐ฎ ๐ฆ๐๐๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐: ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ฆ๐ฌ ๐๐ซ๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐๐, ๐ ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐ฌ ๐๐๐ง๐ข๐๐
Since 2012, Rohingya people in both Myanmar and Bangladesh have faced systematic barriers to higher education. In Myanmarโs Rakhine State, Sittwe University once admitted Rohingya students, but even then they were often restricted to basic fields of study such as B.A. or B.Sc., while medicine, law, and engineering were blocked to them. After the violence of 2012, the restrictions became much harsher. Students were not only denied professional courses but also required to obtain travel permits just to reach the university (Human Rights Watch, 2019).
In Bangladesh, the situation is different but equally painful. In the refugee camps of Coxโs Bazar, learning centers exist, yet they are informal and mostly unrecognized. Rohingya children are not allowed to enroll in Bangladeshi public schools or use the national curriculum. This effectively ends their education at a certain level with no path to university or professional training (Benar News, 2019; Human Rights Watch, 2025).
Some community-led schools charge small monthly fees, sometimes as little as fifty cents to five dollars but even that is beyond the reach of many refugee families who struggle to meet daily needs (Human Rights Watch, 2025). Teachers, often Rohingya themselves, work with little or no pay, driven only by their belief in education.
๐๐ฒ ๐๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ฑ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐ง๐๐
As a child, I dreamed of becoming a doctor. I imagined myself in a white coat, treating the sick and serving my community. Back then, I thought all I needed was determination. But as I grew older, I learned that being Rohingya meant this dream was impossible. Not because I lacked the ability or will, but because the system was designed to keep people like me out.
In the camps of Bangladesh, I saw other children with the same hunger for knowledge. They studied under tarpaulin roofs, reading by candlelight or by the dim glow of solar lanterns. Yet everyone knew that beyond secondary school there was a dead end. One Rohingya teenager once said to me,
โ๐ฐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐?โ
That question still echoes in my mind.
๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ฌ ๐๐ฌ
- The impact of these restrictions is devastating.
- A generation of future leaders such as doctors, teachers, engineers are being lost before they even begin.
- Students complete lessons, but their certificates carry no recognition, so further study or formal employment is impossible (Human Rights Watch, 2025).
- Girls are especially affected with; education blocked, many face early marriage or are pushed into household work instead of being allowed to dream (Human Rights Watch, 2025).
๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ญ ๐๐ ๐๐ข๐๐๐๐ซ๐๐ง๐ญ?
If Rohingya youth had access to higher education, the story would change. Imagine Rohingya doctors treating their own people, Rohingya lawyers advocating for justice, Rohingya teachers shaping the next generation. Education would give us the tools to rebuild, to rise above dependency, and to contribute to the world.
Nelson Mandela once said,
โEducation is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.โ
For us, this weapon has been kept out of reach, leaving us defenseless against poverty, discrimination, and despair.
๐๐จ๐ซ๐๐ฅ
To be denied education is not just to lose books or classrooms. It is to lose futures, identities, and voices. For Rohingya students, every closed school gate is more than a locked door, it is a message that their dreams were declared illegal before they even began.
References
Human Rights Watch (2019). โAre We Not Human? Denial of Education for Rohingya Refugee Children in Bangladesh.โ
Benar News (2019). โBangladesh Bans Rohingya Children From Formal Education.โ
Human Rights Watch (2025). โBangladesh: Foreign Aid Cuts Affect Rohingya Childrenโs Education.โ
