Community-Led Education among Rohingya Refugees and the Politics of Refugee Education in Bangladesh

Abstract

The academic literature on refugee education and education in emergencies is understandably preoccupied with how to improve educational tools and learning platforms for refugees. However, political restrictions on education from host governments are among the main obstacles for quality education in many refugee settings. This article contributes to the refugee education literature by exploring ways in which refugees themselves can mitigate the denial of the right to education through a combination of traditional community mobilization and the use of new technologies. Specifically, the article analyses the educational strategies that Rohingya youths and community-based education networks manoeuvre to secure basic education in the refugee camps in Bangladesh, despite severe political restrictions. Based on qualitative interviews in 2019 and 2021 (in person and phone interviews) with 38 community teachers and 16 refugee students, and digital data collection, including reviews of learning tools of 21 online programmes, the article presents new knowledge on the strategies that Rohingya youths and adolescents pursue to access learning tools and education. It also shows how community-based education networks and teachers tackle political restrictions on education. These networks represent an educated wellspring of untapped resources with close ties to the refugee community, and insights into the grievances and aspirations of Rohingya youths, that humanitarian education providers should engage with to improve their response.