Standing in the gap for Rohingya Refugee children: A community approach to making education possible

Standing in the gap delivers low profile and community driven education to support refugee children with no access to services. This concept acknowledges the complex dynamics of the area, the pressure on all actors involved and the limits on resources, and looks for an alternative solution, until the situation improves.

The solution took the form of 45 small classrooms, dispersed throughout the camp, with basic learning materials. Classrooms were built out of mud either within or alongside existing dwellings to keep a low-profile. 45 Rohingya refugees from the camps were trained as teachers, through a ‘train the trainer’ system.

The teacher training and the curriculum delivered is from BRAC, who provide a government approved ‘second chance education’ model. This is a gender sensitive, pro poor and child friendly curriculum, designed for children who have never had the chance of education or who have dropped out of school. The project is founded on local partnership and active community participation.

At the end of 2016, a 93% retention rate was recorded and a 97% pass rate on official exams, with 2,700 children following a Bangladesh government approved curriculum.