In a major announcement that will play a vital role for the future of the score of Rohingya refugee children, the Bangladesh government has finally declared that it will provide essential education and training opportunities to these deprived children. The training will be aimed at imparting key skills to the children. The decision came nearly after 2 and a half years when they were compelled to escape their own country amid large scale crime taking place against humanity in Myanmar.
Bangladesh foreign minister Dr. A.K. Abdul Momen made the big announcement earlier on Tuesday. He said that Bangladesh would offer formal education to these children as the country does not want a lost generation of Rohingyas. The decision that will go a long way in changing the uncertain fate of nearly 5 million children was taken at a meeting of the National Task Force set-up by the country’s ruling government.
Earlier, several human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, campaigned for the better life of Rohingya children who have been languishing in Bangladesh’s refugee camps. In their campaign, the organizations urged the country’s government to allow these children to enjoy their basic right to quality education.
Saad Hammadi, South Asia Campaigner at Amnesty International, said,
This is an important and very positive commitment by the Bangladeshi government, allowing children to access schooling and chase their dreams for the future. They have lost two academic years already and cannot afford to lose any more time outside a classroom.
As of now, the Bangladesh government has decided to offer school education to these children till the age of 14. Children above the age of 14 will receive skill training. Earlier, the children were not entitled to any formal education in Bangladesh. However, they had received primary education in temporary camps established by the UNICEF.
Till now, the Bangladesh government opposed the idea of providing basic education to Rohingya refugee children. Those children who had somehow got access to local secondary schools were terminated after the government’s orders.
These children faced huge uncertainties till now amid large scale fears that they would either be sent back to Myanmar forcibly or relocated somewhere else. A large number of these Rohingya children were about to complete their schooling when the Myanmar military launched an attack at their villages and forced them to take shelter in Bangladesh.
