Education

In recent years, Bangladesh has made significant progress in addressing the mental health needs of its citizens. In 2018, the country approved a Mental Health Act and developed a mental health policy that prioritises community-based services and support. However, it was only during the COVID-19 pandemic, when all educational institutions were…

COX’S BAZAR, Bangladesh, 23 July 2023 – Against the odds of displacement, fires burning down learning centres, and Cyclone Mocha’s wrath, classrooms in the Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh are filling up today with children, excited on the first day of school. Thanks to expanded education opportunities for teenagers and girls, a record 300,000…

Mohammad Al-Amin was 14 years old when he was arrested. He had been accused of vandalism and was transferred to a child detention centre in the outskirts of Bangladesh’s capital, Dhaka. He was terrified. Al-Amin had no idea what the conditions would be in a place that was far from his home. He arrived at a noisy facility, that was crowded with…, More than 5,000 children reunited with their families, The virtual children’s courts were developed to help expedite the backlog of cases involving children. Many had been detained after being accused of minor offences. The courts also helped to alleviate health concerns, with crowded conditions at the detention facilities putting young people at increased risk of contracting COVID-19. “When I started…, Call for virtual children’s courts to become permanent, The virtual courts were suspended in July 2021, after COVID-related restrictions were lifted in Bangladesh. UNICEF is advocating for these courts to become a permanent fixture of the justice system in the country. These virtual courts would allow for children to remain in school pending their court hearings. It would also help to avoid the…, Return to normality and school, On his release from detention, Al-Amin was assigned a probation officer to take care of the case proceedings, and two social workers to help with his return. “Rana bhai and Redwan bhai [the social workers] look after me now and visit me every now and then to see what I am up to – whether I’m studying or not, whether I’m on the right path or not,”…

COX’S BAZAR, 1 May 2022 – A breakthrough for Rohingya refugee children living in the Cox’s Bazar refugee camps in Bangladesh sees the first 10,000 children enrolled to receive education based on the national curriculum of their home country Myanmar. This milestone will be reached this month. The Myanmar Curriculum Pilot, launched by UNICEF and…

NEW YORK, 13 MAY 2020 – An additional 6,000 children could die every day from preventable causes over the next six months as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to weaken health systems and disrupt routine services, UNICEF said today. The estimate is based on an analysis by researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, newly…

GENEVA, 3 May 2019 – This week, UNICEF inaugurated the 2,000 th learning center in the Rohingya refugee camps of Cox’s Bazar of Bangladesh.  More than 180,000 children are now learning in the 2,000 UNICEF-supported learning centres, taught by 4,000 teachers who have been trained by UNICEF partners. These children are aged between 4 to 14 years.…

DHAKA, 27 February 2019: Half a million Rohingya children are stateless refugees in the Cox’s Bazar area in southern Bangladesh, increasingly anxious about their futures, and vulnerable to frustration and despair. The massive humanitarian effort led by the Government of Bangladesh with international support has saved countless children’s lives.…

More than 145,000 refugee children are now attending UNICEF-supported learning centres

COX’S BAZAR, Bangladesh, 24 January 2019 – More than 145,000 Rohingya refugee children living in camps in south-east Bangladesh are now attending UNICEF-supported learning centres, as a new school year begins. Following a huge effort from the humanitarian community to construct a network of around 1,600 Learning Centres throughout the camps –…

One year ago, hundreds of thousands of desperate and terrorized people – more than half of them children – poured across the border from Myanmar into Bangladesh, bringing with them accounts of the unspeakable violence and brutality that had forced them to flee. Today, a semblance of normality has descended on the camps and the surrounding…, Crisis at a glance, How many Rohingya refugees are in Bangladesh?, Around 919,000 Rohingya refugees now live in southern Bangladesh, the vast majority in the camps and settlements that have sprung up in Cox’s Bazar district, close to the border with Myanmar., What are the main challenges Rohingya refugees face?, Daily life is dominated by the search for food and water, and coping with living conditions that are difficult and sometimes dangerous – especially in Bangladesh’s long monsoon and cyclone seasons, which last until the end of the year. This daily challenge of survival is compounded by uncertainty over their future. They want to return home, but…, How are Rohingya children affected by the crisis?, Aside from the challenges outlined above, children also face an uncertain future. Lack of schooling is a frequent complaint around the camp, especially among adolescents. Girls in particular are at risk of sexual exploitation and gender-based violence. All children face the threat of malnutrition, disease and unsafe water., How one Rohingya girl avoided missing out on school, Two girls write on a sheet of paper, Bangladesh On 5 August 2018 in Hakimpara Refugee camp in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, Tasmin (left), a Bangladeshi student, helps her friend Rajima (right), a Rohingya refugee, with her studies. Both students are 10 years of age. When Rajima, a 10-year-old Rohingya refugee, arrived in Bangladesh in August 2017 she…, Voices of Rohingya refugees, Rubena's story Rashed's story Watch more of Rashed's story >> Abu Ahmed's story, UNICEF's response, UNICEF and its partners from both government and civil society have continued and broadened their work in Myanmar and Bangladesh: To protect children in the largely lawless environment of the camps, UNICEF and partners have set up 136 child-friendly spaces, creating a safe place for children to heal, grow and play. To protect girls against gender-…, Learn more