Assessing the Education Needs of the Rohingya Refugees and the Impact of COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic had an unprecedented impact across the world. This chapter will examine the impact of COVID-19 on the education needs of one of the most vulnerable population groups, refugees. Education is considered a fundamental human right under multiple treaties and conventions. Education in emergencies is essential as during any crisis whether generated by conflicts, public health emergencies, or forced displacement; it can provide individuals with life-saving knowledge on how to respond to various crises whilst also reinstating a sense of routine and stability, particularly for children and youth. Despite its importance, education is often underfunded or halted in emergencies which specifically impacts the well-being of children and youth. By looking at the direct and indirect effects of the pandemic on the education sector in Bangladeshi refugee camps, this chapter provides insight into the impact of COVID-19 and the education needs of the Rohingya refugees living in Cox’s Bazar

Section overview:Young people’s voice, agency and participation ‘beyond borders’

In this introduction, the concept of citizenship ‘beyond borders’ is used to reflect on the participation, voice and agency of adolescents and young people in ways that transcend and challenge traditional notions of citizenship, particularly in relation to the role of the state: migration, online participation, climate activism and counter-politics. This offers a framework for reading chapters in this section of the book, which explore how adolescents and young people in the Global South exercise voice and agency through ways of ‘being political’ that explicitly decentre the state and formal, traditional expressions of civic participation such as voting and joining parties. A key observation is that even through alternative modes of participation, gender and age norms often reinforce patterns of inclusion and exclusion that are central to institutional politics - problematising the avenues which exist for ‘citizenship’ beyond borders.</p

Rohingya Crisis is Turning into a Protracted Refugee Challenge

The Rohingya Crisis is now in its fifth year with no end in sight. While the international community has supported the displaced Rohingyas in Bangladesh by providing humanitarian assistance, what is needed now is to investigate the short-and long-term implications of the crisis from the host country's perspective. Also, it is imperative to examine the current political situation, which was caused by the Myanmar military coup in February 2021. It has cast a dark shadow on the possibility of a negotiated repatriation. In this volume, scholars from Bangladesh and Canada have reflected upon the security situation, the pandemic’s impact on the Rohingyas, inter-group conflict, environmental impact and burden sharing aspects, the informal labor situation, NGO intervention for resilience mapping, and diaspora activities. For both academics and policymakers who work in the fields of conflict resolution and peacebuilding, this book will show how not intervening early in a crisis can have long-term consequences

Rohingya Crisis is Turning into a Protracted Refugee Challenge

The Rohingya Crisis is now in its fifth year with no end in sight. While the international community has supported the displaced Rohingyas in Bangladesh by providing humanitarian assistance, what is needed now is to investigate the short-and long-term implications of the crisis from the host country's perspective. Also, it is imperative to examine the current political situation, which was caused by the Myanmar military coup in February 2021. It has cast a dark shadow on the possibility of a negotiated repatriation. In this volume, scholars from Bangladesh and Canada have reflected upon the security situation, the pandemic’s impact on the Rohingyas, inter-group conflict, environmental impact and burden sharing aspects, the informal labor situation, NGO intervention for resilience mapping, and diaspora activities. For both academics and policymakers who work in the fields of conflict resolution and peacebuilding, this book will show how not intervening early in a crisis can have long-term consequences