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International Journal of
Population Studies Education of Rohingya disabled children

1.3 billion people – about 16% of the global population organizations (NGOs) to provide education for Rohingya
– experience significant disabilities. These include refugee children in Bangladesh. However, they face several
substantial impairments in physical, cognitive, or sensory challenges, including limited space in overcrowded camps
functions that considerably limit individuals’ ability to for building learning facilities, long distances between
participate in daily activities and societal life. Despite shelters and learning centers (LCs), lack of parental or
some progress, WHO emphasizes that the world remains caregiver awareness, high dropout rates among adolescent
far from fully realizing the rights of many persons with girls due to cultural taboos and early marriage, domestic
disabilities. responsibilities, child labor, a shortage of qualified
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF, 2021) Myanmar language teachers (especially female teachers),
reports that nearly 240 million children worldwide live a lack of certification for learners, and the psychological
with various forms of disability. Many of these children trauma experienced by children.
face severe exclusion and deprivation in their daily Despite these efforts, the educational needs of
environments. Children experiencing multiple disabilities children with disabilities in Rohingya camps remain
are particularly disadvantaged. For example, a child methodologically underexplored. The primary aim of this
with both physical and intellectual impairments is more study is to examine the primary facilitators and barriers to
vulnerable to exclusion from education, employment, education for children with disabilities living in Rohingya
and social participation. Those from impoverished refugee camps. Based on identified successes and existing
socioeconomic backgrounds are especially neglected and gaps, the study also proposes a set of recommendations for
deprived of their rights (UNICEF, 2021, pp. 10 – 15). key stakeholders to enhance educational support for these
Beresford et al. (2010) provide evidence that positive marginalized children.
developmental activities for children and youth with 1.1. Education in Rohingya camps
disabilities have numerous beneficial impacts on their
lives. Similarly, Araújo et al. (2016) highlight that a range The Education Sector (2023) in Cox’s Bazar reported that
of supports – including economic, health care, caregiving, a total of 330,024 learners (169,561 boys and 160,463
physiotherapy, psychosocial, educational, recreational, girls), aged between 3 and 24 years, are continuing their
social, and professional services – can significantly improve studies through 6,018 learning facilities in the refugee
their quality of life. camps. Three types of donor-supported learning facilities
are available: 3,470 LCs, 2,348 community-based
Globally, people suffer from various exogenous learning facilities, and 200 cross-sectoral shared learning
and endogenous challenges, among which forced facilities. A total of 5,221 Burmese teachers (3,547 males
displacement is a critical concern. The United Nations and 1,674 females) and 3,378 host community teachers
High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR, 2023) reports (866 males and 2,512 females) are involved in delivering
that over 100 million people have been forcibly displaced education. Notably, UNICEF and UNHCR operate 2,600
due to persecution, conflict, and human rights violations, and 500 LCs, respectively. A total of 31 implementing
marking the highest level of displacement ever recorded. partners are engaged in providing education for Rohingya
Crea et al. (2022) note that many children in refugee camps children. Figure 1 shows the grade-wise distribution of the
face significant obstacles in accessing education, with 330,024 learners. In addition, Figure 2 illustrates that 2,779
children with disabilities being particularly vulnerable learners with disabilities (1,599 boys and 1,180 girls) are
in exercising their educational rights. Ficarra (2017) continuing their studies in the Rohingya camps.
further criticizes the lack of research on educational issues
specifically affecting refugee children. 1.2. Theoretical and operational frameworks
The Rohingya people have long experienced systemic Luhmann and Rasch (2002) argue that inclusion
deprivation and persecution in Myanmar. In August 2017, is inseparably intertwined with the functional
more than 773,000 Rohingya – including around 400,000 differentiations within society. Inclusive education, in all
children – fled to Bangladesh, settling in the Cox’s Bazar its forms, stems from a rights-based philosophy (Subotić
district, which has become the fastest and largest refugee & Anđić, 2014). Mortier et al. (2010) emphasize that
influx in recent history. According to the United Nations empowering communities and implementing practical,
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs context-sensitive strategies are key to ensuring the
(OCHA, 2022), the Rohingya are considered the most inclusion of children with disabilities in educational
persecuted Muslim minority in the world. Shohel (2022) settings. It is important to note that this study specifically
notes that international humanitarian agencies are focuses on including children with disabilities in
actively working in partnership with non-governmental education.

Volume 11 Issue 6 (2025) 2 https://doi.org/10.36922/ijps.8097