Arakan News Agency | Exclusive
Thousands of Rohingya students on Thursday began sitting for official, organized examinations for the first time since their displacement in 2017, held in the world’s largest refugee settlement in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, in accordance with Myanmar’s official examination board procedures.
Students from over 50 community-based schools in the camps are taking part in these exams at the 12th, 9th, and 5th grade levels, marking a historic milestone that reflects the determination of the Rohingya community to continue education despite the harsh realities of refugee life.
The initiative is seen as evidence of the resilience of teachers, parents, and students, as they take exams that mirror the education system they followed in Myanmar before being displaced.
The exams were conducted under strict discipline, with students expressing both anxiety and excitement as they sat in crowded halls filled with exam papers, seeing the event as not only an academic test but also a testament to their resolve to preserve their identity and secure their future.
Teachers and community leaders stressed that the initiative gives young people hope and the means to pursue a better future. One teacher told Arakan News Agency: “No one can take education away from us. It is our light in the darkness.”
Community leaders praised the Rohingya Examination Board for its dedication and efforts in organizing the education process in the camps, enabling students to continue their studies in line with the standards of their homeland even in exile.
The event stands as an educational achievement and a message to the world that, despite their statelessness and ongoing displacement, the Rohingya community remains committed to hope and knowledge, viewing education as their strongest tool for survival and the restoration of dignity and a better future.
In April, several Rohingya school officials and representatives in the camps announced the establishment of a board to oversee the education and examinations of Rohingya students across different levels and to improve the quality of education provided in the community-based schools in the camps.
More than one million Rohingya refugees live in Bangladesh camps under difficult conditions, facing shortages in education, healthcare, and employment opportunities raising serious concerns for the future of Rohingya children, who often lack quality education and adequate healthcare, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation by criminal networks and human traffickers.
