Prioritising learning for Rohingya children

COVID-19 compounded an already bleak situation for Rohingyas who fled neighbouring Myanmar due to protracted violence since August 2017. Most reside in Cox’s Bazar—one of the most impoverished districts of Bangladesh—which now houses 877,710 Rohingyas, of whom 456,410 are school-aged children in 34 camps. Many Rohingya children lacked access to education in Myanmar and thus prior learning levels were alarmingly low. In response, UNICEF Bangladesh has boosted construction of learning centres to reach the rising influx of Rohingya children, while focusing on improving the quality of learning. Prior to the outbreak of COVID-19, UNICEF alone provided education opportunities for 70 per cent of Rohingya children aged 4-14 years, or 230,000 children (110,400 girls).