Abstract
The Rohingyas, an ethnic minority of Myanmar, have been denied human rights, including citizenship rights. Hostile situations in Rakhine State forced them to flee from their motherland and seek refuge in neighbouring Bangladesh and other countries. This chapter presents the challenges and opportunities of providing higher education for the Rohingya refugees. It also presents the current opportunities for refugee higher education in the South Asian and international contexts. Significant recommendations include simplifying the bureaucratic process concerning their access to higher education, collaborating between the government, donors and overseas universities regarding the Rohingya students' admission to higher education, and providing adequate financial support for higher education. It also suggests organising a teacher development programme to provide education to the Rohingya refugees, ensuring counselling support, and conducting need-based research to formulate appropriate evidence-based policies and curricula for enhancing access to higher education for the Rohingya refugees.
TopThe Rohingya Crisis
The Rohingyas are an ethnic minority group living in the northern part of the Rakhine State, near the Bangladesh-India border, on the western coast of Myanmar, with distinct cultures and civilisations of their own (Druce, 2020). The Rohingyas do not belong to a single ethnicity; instead, they are from various origins and have various cultural traits (Tha, 2007; Swazo et al., 2020). In 1799, a Scottish surgeon with the British East India Company named Francis Buchanan arrived in Burma and contacted members of the Rooinga, a Muslim ethnic minority who had long been established in Arakan (Buchanan, 1799; Poling, 2014). By the 1950s, they began to use the term “Rohingya”, which may be a continuation of the term “Rooinga”, to establish a distinct identity and identify themselves as indigenous (Jilani, 1999; Mohajan, 2018). The current Rakhine state of Myanmar, which used to be called Arakan, is home to two of the country's main ethnic groups: the Rohingya and the Rakhine. The Rohingyas are nationals as well as an indigenous ethnic group of Myanmar. They are not a racial group that recently migrated to Arakan. Instead, they are as old an indigenous race of the country as any others living in Myanmar (Bahar, 1982). The Rohingya are mostly Muslims, with a small percentage of Hindus (Shohel, 2022; Warzone Initiatives, 2015), whereas the Rakhine are Buddhists (Amnesty International, 2004).
Key Terms in this Chapter
Refugees: Individuals who have fled their homes due to war, conflict, persecution, or violence and sought safety in another country. They encounter life-threatening risks while crossing borders, face the loss of belongings and loved ones, and grapple with limited access to necessities, legal protection, and opportunities for education and employment.
The Rohingya: An ethnic minority group in Myanmar primarily residing in Rakhine State, face a history of marginalization, discrimination, and persecution. They suffer from restricted freedom of movement, denial of citizenship rights, and systemic violence, resulting in mass displacement and an ongoing refugee crisis. These stateless individuals have sought refuge in neighbouring countries such as Bangladesh and India, as well as Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Saudi Arabia, due to brutal abuses and oppression.
Statelessness: This occurs when individuals lack a recognized nationality or citizenship, leading to a lack of legal protection, rights, and obligations associated with citizenship. The condition can result from gaps in nationality laws, conflicts, discrimination, migration, and administrative errors, among others, and has significant implications, such as restricted access to essential services, legal protection, and mobility. Addressing statelessness requires concerted efforts from governments, international organizations, and civil society to identify, prevent, and reduce statelessness and safeguard the rights of stateless persons.
Forcibly Displaced Individuals (FDIs): Those who have been compelled to leave their homes due to conflict, persecution, violence, natural disaster or other circumstances that pose potential threats to their safety, security, well-being and rights. These individuals are typically unable or unwilling to return to their homes or country of origin, often facing significant challenges and vulnerabilities in their search for protection and stability.
The Rohingya crisis: A humanitarian disaster that has affected the Rohingyas, a minority group in Myanmar that has been facing discrimination, violence, and persecution since 1968. The crisis, caused by Myanmar's military junta's human rights abuses against the Rohingyas, has led to one of the largest refugee crises in recent history. Despite international condemnation and assistance from the government of Bangladesh, UN bodies, and international organizations, finding a sustainable solution to the crisis remains a daunting challenge that necessitates international cooperation to address root causes, ensure accountability, and protect the Rohingyas.