Real-World Impact Research: Assessment of Rohingya Children's Education and Mental Well-Being in Refugee Camps in Bangladesh

• In Event: Quality Educational Assessment for Equity and Fairness

Abstract

Objectives
About 700,000 Rohingya men, women and children fled genocide in Myanmar in 2017 and now live in Cox’s Bazar district of Bangladesh – the largest refugee camp in the world – with no access to formal employment. Children in the camp are not allowed to receive education in Bangladeshi schools, barring them from future opportunities to integrate into the local community. Many suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder after watching their homes and families being destroyed in Myanmar.

Perspectives
Our project, titled “Coping with the Loss of Home: Improving Adolescent Mental Health with Education” is designed for adolescents in partnership with Pathshala, a prominent Bengali photography school and icddr,b an international health research institute in Bangladesh.

Method
The educational program is designed for students between the ages of 13-17. We randomize the students into one of two groups (relative to a control that does not receive the program): the first group is focused on using photography to evoke and express emotions surrounding home, while the second focuses on learning photography skills to secure employment with local non-profit organizations. Our outcomes of interest are measures of future preferences: Do the students learn more (or less) when mental wellbeing is prioritized along with curricular instruction? Do the students prefer to stay or repatriate? Do they see themselves integrating with the host community? Locally relevant measurements are created to assess learning and mental health outcomes along with use of EEG headsets to detect PTSD related symptoms.

Data and Results
Preliminary qualitative findings show that many children suffering from PTSD acknowledge that learning new skills is helpful for coping with their mental health challenges.

Significance
The comparison between the two treatment groups along with comparison between with and without PTSD will contribute to a significant gap in existing literature around migration policymaking and access to education in the Rohingya refugee camps.

Author

• Fatima Zahra, New York University