Over the years it has blossomed into an award-winning programme reaching nearly 10,000 refugee children with creative, academic and student-created content each week.
The latest challenge has been translating the new Myanmar curriculum, which was introduced suddenly in 2022 and is written in Burmese. Since the Rohingya were barred from learning the Burmese language in Myanmar, our students and teachers barely understand it.
Our digital team has been working around the clock, and to date produced an impressive 466 video lessons from this curriculum, dubbed in the Rohingya dialect. These companion lessons are watched on the projector screen as the children have their Burmese textbooks open on their desks.
Digital lessons remain the most popular component of the classrooms and, in the last six months, have helped to boost attendance from from 92% to 95% in the Kutupalong camp.
When we first started using projector lessons, children were spellbound by them, and a few years later, they continue to create a peaceful learning environment, whilst inspiring active participation.
Beyond attentiveness, classroom observations now show that the children are constantly engaged and interacting with the lessons, which reflects their growing confidence and enthusiasm for learning.
Monitoring and Evaluation Officer Rebeka Khatoun said:
“We can see skills coming through as a result of the changes, we are now providing higher quality education. Visitors to the classrooms are already noticing the improvement and parents are very happy to see it. Our centres are really well attended across the board which is an area other agencies struggle with.”
Whilst significant steps forward are being achieved through our video lessons, without being able to take notes or read in their mother tongue, Rohingya students’ learning is still being held back.
We have been granted permission to pilot the use of an alphabet called the Hanifi script, created 40 years ago by a Rohingya university professor living in Bangladesh, in order to create a written form of the Rohingya language.
This pilot project marks the first time ever formal approval has been given to write the Rohingya language in either Bangladesh or Myanmar.
13-year-old Morina says:
“I can see a lot of change in me. I am now studying in Grade 3 and wish to study to higher grades. I am confident I can do it. Through learning here, my confidence has increased a lot.”
Donate today and help more children like Morina to learn in a language they understand.
