A/HRC/39/CRP.2
of 30:1 set out by the Ministry of Education of Myanmar.1206 Government teachers reportedly
attended schools even less frequently, especially in Maungdaw and Buthidaung, supposedly
due to security concerns. As a consequence, a parallel education system staffed by volunteers
was started to teach Rohingya children in northern Rakhine. 1207
Situation in central Rakhine
562. According to credible reports, in central Rakhine many Rohingya and Kaman children
are prevented from attending the formal education system because of the combination of
movement restrictions, the lack of schools, and the confinement of an estimated 60,000
displaced children. In displacement camps and sites, primary education is mainly accessible
through “temporary learning centres” set up after the 2012 violence and supported by the
United Nations and international organizations. These centres follow the government’s
curriculum. They are open to both displaced children and children from Muslim villages who
do not have access to government schools. However, these centres are only primary school
level, lack support from the Government, are under-resourced and lack qualified teachers. 1208
563. Middle school and high school opportunities are even more limited for Muslim
students in central Rakhine, and almost non-existent for those living outside Sittwe
Township. There is only one high school for Rohingya and Kaman children in central
Rakhine, located in Thet Kae Pyin in Sittwe Township. It provides schooling for
approximately 3,500 students. At the high school level, there are reportedly only six teachers
in total, with a ratio of 102 students per teacher. Out of the total of 57 teachers, it is reported
that only five are government-appointed (all of whom are Kaman), with all the others being
“volunteer teachers”.1209
564. In 2018, the UNICEF spokesperson summarised the situation of Rohingya children
with regards to access to education in central Rakhine as follows:
While the eyes of the world are on the situation in northern Rakhine and in Cox’s
Bazaar, over 60,000 Rohingya children remain almost forgotten, trapped in 23 camps
in central Rakhine they were driven into by violence in 2012. (…) The movement
restrictions are shrinking horizons for children in the camps – nowhere more so than
in terms of education. (…) Rohingya children desperately need education if they are
to have any kind of prospects for a better future. Temporary solutions need to be
improved immediately and more durable arrangements providing children with
access to formal education, provided by properly trained teachers and recognized by
the education system, must be set in place quickly. Otherwise this generation’s future
prospects will be permanently damaged.1210
Discrimination at university
565. Until 2012, a limited number of Rohingya could access higher education, mostly at
Sittwe University. A very small minority – students from wealthy or prominent families –
could travel to Yangon to study. Travel to Sittwe or Yangon remained a challenge because
of the movement restrictions.1211 As “non-citizens”, Rohingya were not permitted to study
1206
1207
1208
1209
1210
1211
134
PLAN and REACH, Joint education sector needs assessment, north Rakhine State, Myanmar (2015),
p. 5. According to UNESCO: “In the absence of a global target on pupil-teacher ratios (PTR) in
primary education, the most widely used international benchmark is 40:1.” Education for All Global
Monitoring Report and UNESCO Education Sector, “Policy Paper 19: The challenge of teacher
shortage and quality: Have we succeeded in getting enough quality teachers into classrooms?” (April
2015).
PLAN and REACH, Joint education sector needs assessment, north Rakhine State, Myanmar (2015),
p. 5, LI-116
QM-002, QM-005; K-113.2; UNICEF, Briefing on the situation of children in Rakhine State (January
2018).
QM-005; K-113.2.
UNICEF, Briefing on the situation of children in Rakhine State (January 2018).
CI-065, CI-069, CI-080, DI-004, LI-135.