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Published : 04 Nov 2025, 09:19 PM
A survey conducted by the Burma Task Force has revealed that only 3 percent of school-age Rohingya girls in Bangladesh are receiving education.
The task force is part of the US and Canada-based human rights organisation Justice for All.
Justice for All President and Burma Task Force Chairman Imam Abdul Malik Mujahid presented the survey results at a press briefing held at Dhaka’s Banani on Tuesday.
It noted, “While 52 percent of school-aged Rohingya are female, only about 3 percent of them are enrolled in educational programmes”.
The task force delegation has urged the Bangladesh government to adopt a “coherent, accredited, and inclusive education framework for Rohingya refugees”.
Abdul said, “The government and people of Bangladesh have done more than any other nation in the world to show compassion to the Rohingya.
“Now is the moment to build the next bridge: education. A coherent and accredited system will ensure that Rohingya children, especially girls, are not denied their future,” he said.
The delegation presented its key recommendations to Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus based on multi-year research and recent site visits to the Rohingya camps in Cox’s Bazar.
“There are three critical actions to emphasise. They are:
Issue a national policy directive to develop a unified Rohingya education framework
Implement an accredited certification system that enables higher education and employment pathways
Allow US Muslim relief organisations to contribute to education initiatives, unlocking a vast reservoir of charitable resources and expertise.
“Justice for All stands ready to partner with Bangladesh in mobilising the US Muslim community, whose charitable giving exceeds $4 billion annually, to strengthen Rohingya education and ensure that no child is left behind.”
The delegation said in the briefing that they “conducted the survey research involving 1,000 Rohingya women, consultations with educators and administrators, and field visits to schools in multiple camps”.
The Burma Task Force’s report on education for the Rohingya community was released at the event, which described the current education situation in the Rohingya camps as “dire”.
“Due to funding cuts, United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and Save the Children International (SCI) — entrusted by the Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner (RRRC) with overseeing education for the Rohingya in the camps – announced in June 2025 that they would need to close down learning centres, estimating that 6,400 learning centres and 300,000 children would be affected,” the report said.
The report further highlighted the closure of 2,789 learning centres, leaving 159,420 Rohingya students without access to education since June 2025
It added that 4,914 volunteer teachers have also lost their positions as a result.
Justice for All surveyed in 2024 to understand how Rohingya refugees view their education system.
The survey was conducted in the Rohingya camps in Bangladesh during November and December.
To deepen the findings, a seven-member delegation of staff and volunteers from the organisation visited the Kutupalong refugee camp in December 2024, where they met Rohingya women who had participated in the survey and heard about their experiences firsthand.
United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) former chairperson Nadine Maenza said, “During my visit to the Rohingya camps in Cox’s Bazar, I met families who understand that education is the key to their children’s future.
“For Bangladesh, allowing education in the camps is not just an act of compassion – it is a strategic investment in stability.
“An uneducated generation will deepen dependency and insecurity, while an educated one can contribute to peace, resilience, and eventual solutions for both Bangladesh and Burma.”
Delegation member Richard Reoch, former spokesperson for Amnesty International, said: “Education is a life-saving pathway to recovery for young people trapped in the horrific aftermath of a genocide.
He likened education to food and water, emphasising that young minds need the “systematic care and skill-training” that schooling provides.
“Education is their passport to a new life. We have seen the dedication of Rohingya teachers and parents, their commitment to their children’s education reflects the spirit of resilience that genocide could not extinguish,” he added.
