By Ro Maung Shwe
On 12 August 2025, in the heart of Camp 4, a group of Rohingya educators, community leaders, and school organisers gathered for what many described as a historic moment — the first formal meeting between the Examination Board for Rohingya Refugees and the Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner (RRRC), Mizanur Rahman.
The discussion centred on a bold and long-awaited goal: securing official recognition for the refugee-led education system. For years, this community-driven network of schools has worked to preserve Rohingya culture, language, and Islamic studies while reshaping Myanmar’s secular curriculum from a Rohingya perspective.
A Vision for Education and Identity
During the meeting, the Examination Board presented a set of eight core demands to the RRRC: recognition of the Board and its education system, allocation of shared spaces for learning, security for teachers and students, access to digital skills and vocational training, inclusion of Rohingya language in the curriculum, opportunities for higher education, dignified repatriation with restoration of identity, and the development of educated community leadership.
“These demands are not just about classrooms and textbooks,” said one organiser. “They are about safeguarding our identity, protecting our children’s future, and ensuring that education becomes our path to dignity.”
RRRC Mizanur Rahman acknowledged the Board’s vision and praised the initiative. However, he noted that such changes could only be pursued within the framework of Bangladesh’s constitutional provisions for refugees. He also reminded the gathering that Bangladesh is among the very few countries allowing refugees to follow their curriculum, a privilege, he said, that must be valued.
Community Leaders Speak Out
The room was filled with voices of determination.
- Khing Maung, a young Rohingya politician and organiser of the Examination Board, outlined the vision for a united education system that represents all community schools.
- Mohammad Younus, also an organiser, spoke of building a common platform for over 70 refugee-led schools that currently operate without external funding, relying entirely on community contributions.
- Ahesanul Haque, Chairman of the Rohingya Education Committee, expressed gratitude to the RRRC for engaging directly with the community.
- Abdu Rahman, the Board’s secretary, shared plans to include Rohingya Zuban, history, culture, and Islamic studies at the core of the curriculum.
The Voices from the Ground
For many in the camps, this meeting was a rare opportunity to speak directly about the future.
“Young people need more than two or three hours in a classroom,” said youth advocate Syedul Mostafa. “If the RRRC supports community schools to use NGO-built facilities, students could study six to eight hours a day. That is how real progress will happen.”
Community teacher Abdu Rashid described the Board as “a historic initiative that can transform a losing generation into disciplined, educated leaders. Lies cannot stand for long — and education is our truth.”
For Mayyu Islam, the stakes are deeply personal. “Since 1990, Rohingya have been blocked from higher education as part of the genocide against us,” she said. “We are far behind in the digital world, and our youth still lack leadership opportunities. We need higher education, skills training, even a midwife centre in the camp. We cannot remain stuck in survival mode forever.”
A First Step Toward Recognition
The meeting ended without formal commitments, but it left a sense of cautious optimism. While the RRRC stressed that any steps forward would require government approval, the dialogue opened a channel for cooperation that did not exist before.
For the Rohingya educators in the room, it was a step toward a future where their children’s certificates are recognised, their language and history are taught without fear, and their path to leadership is clear.
The challenge now lies in turning these discussions into concrete policy — and ensuring that the aspirations voiced in Camp 4 on that August day are not left behind in the dusty minutes of a meeting, but carried forward into the classrooms where the next generation of Rohingya is waiting to learn.
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