Arakan News Agency
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has warned that 350,000 Rohingya refugee children could be permanently deprived of education by 2026 due to severe cuts in international funding for education.
UNICEF projections indicate that the decline in international funding threatens to deny education to nearly six million children worldwide by 2026, 30% of whom live in humanitarian emergencies, including 350,000 Rohingya children.
According to the organization’s analysis, official development assistance for education is expected to shrink by 24% compared to 2023, equivalent to $3.2 billion, with approximately 80% of the reduction attributed to cuts announced by the United States, Germany, and France.
UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell stressed that every dollar cut from education funding is not merely a financial decision but a judgment on the future of a child at risk. She emphasized that education is a lifeline, especially in emergencies, providing children with a chance to escape poverty and build a better life.
The organization expressed particular concern for countries experiencing humanitarian crises and facing the largest budget cuts, noting that some nations, including Haiti, Somalia, and the Palestinian territories, could lose up to 10% of their national education budgets.
UNICEF had announced months ago the closure of several of its educational centers in Rohingya camps in Bangladesh due to a lack of international funding, while refugees have continued to demand their reopening, expressing concern over the jeopardized future of their children who are being denied basic education.
More than one million Rohingya refugees live in Bangladesh after fleeing Myanmar following a 2017 military-led genocide. Their displacement increased after renewed fighting in November 2023 between the Myanmar army and Arakan Buddhist militias (Arakan Army), which subjected them to violence, forced displacement, and compulsory recruitment.
