Access and continuity of quality education for older adolescents and girls in the refugee camp and host community of Cox’s Bazar

• In Event: Protesting Societal Norms for Sustainable Girls’ Empowerment through Education

Proposal

Education for adolescents in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh is a serious concern. In the refugee camps of Cox’s Bazar, older adolescents have been excluded from the existing school system from the very beginning of the refugee crisis. Most of the Rohingya adolescents lack educational opportunities and skills development, and the host communities also have low enrollment rates for secondary and higher education which are decreasing after the influx. Half of the girls in the Rohingya refugee camps aspire to learn, but they face more difficulties than boys due to the social and religious norms that restrict their mobility and socialization. The Rohingya community has traditionally considered girls’ education as unsuitable and superfluous after puberty. Girls cannot associate with boys or males because of cultural prohibitions, so they cannot attend school with boys. Research indicates that the gender gap widens as girls grow older, with many Rohingya refugee girls leaving school between 12 and 14 years old. However, there is evidence that these views are shifting and that there is more support for education. But there are few classrooms for women and girls only in the Rohingya camps, making it difficult for adolescents to access education in a culturally appropriate way. Furthermore, evidence shows that older adolescents, especially girls, are exposed to many protection risks, such as insecurity, trafficking, early and forced marriage, child labor, abuse and exploitation. There is currently a gap in research that can provide evidence on the causes of this problem or the best way to solve it by using education to change gender norms.
To address this gap, IRC ERICC is conducting a formative research study that aims to (a) identify reasons particularly related to gender norms that led out-of-schools adolescents to remain out of school or discontinue their education, (b) identify skills-set that parents and older adolescents consider desirable, (c) identify opportunities and barriers to develop those skills-set, (d) map existing vocational and skills development programs for the Rohingya and the host communities, and learn about the experiences that enrolled and graduate students have had with these programs, and (e) identify gaps between the desirable skills-set and the available programs.
This formative study follows a mixed-methods approach using quantitative and qualitative primary data collected through semi-structured interviews with different stakeholders, and secondary data from existing vocational institutes in the host community and youth programs in the refugee camps. The study is collecting survey and focus group data from 300 15 to 19 year old out of school adolescent girls and their parents, survey from 20-30 technical education teachers, 80-120 current students and graduates of the existing vocational programs, majhis and village leaders. The study will inform the development of strategies and/or interventions particularly around gender norms to increase access and continuity of education for older adolescents and girls in the Rohingya and the host community.

Authors

• Proma Saha, International Rescue Committee (IRC)

• Ashraful Haque, International Rescue Committee

• Md Galib Hasan, International Rescue Committee (IRC)

• Md. Mohosin Abedin, International Rescue Committee

• Jeffrey Dow, International Rescue Committee (IRC)

• Htet Thiha Zaw, International Rescue Committee (IRC)

• Silvia Diazgranados, International Rescue Committee