Teaching and Learning in Rohingya Camps: An Interview with Taslima Razzak

Photo Source: Wikimedia, 2025 (Public Domain License)

The world’s largest refugee camp people is located in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. UNHCR and the Government of Bangladesh reported over 1.1 million Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar as of late 2025. Inhabitants face intense constraints, from overcrowding and heat to limited resources, restricted mobility, and fragile infrastructure.

Education in the camps is largely delivered through thousands of temporary learning centers, often running multiple shifts a day and focused on foundational skills. Against that backdrop, Taslima Razzak, a student in the M.A. for Education program at Asian University for Women (AUW) wrote her master’s thesis on integrating Universal Design for Learning (UDL) with solar-powered devices to strengthen both learning quality and classroom conditions in camp learning centers.

Taslima’s path to AUW is inseparable from the issues her research examines. She was born and raised in Myanmar in a community that, for decades, has faced systematic restrictions on rights and educational opportunity. She completed high school under constrained conditions, but higher education was not an accessible option. After fleeing to Bangladesh in 2017, she ultimately gained the opportunity to continue her studies at AUW.

Taslima’s thesis, “Integrating Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and Solar-Powered Devices to Enhance Quality of Education and Environmental Conditions in the Learning Centers of Cox’s Bazar Rohingya Refugee Camps, Bangladesh,” examines what inclusive pedagogy can look like in camp classrooms—and how energy access and solar-powered tools shape the basic conditions under which children can learn. Her study used a mixed-methods, cross-sectional design, including a survey (n=245) alongside 10 classroom observations and 3 focus groups with teachers from NGO-run and community-based learning centers.

In this interview, we explore what “inclusive pedagogy” looks like in the daily reality of the camps, how energy access shapes teaching and learning, and what long-term prospects and policy choices mean for children growing up in protracted displacement.

What brought you to this topic personally and which organizations did you collaborate with? Why did you specifically focus on solar and UDL?

I have conducted this research for several reasons. Firstly, I believe that Universal Design for Learning can be a powerful and effective tool to improve camp education if the educators really implement it as the camp education is very poor. Lack of receiving quality education is deeply leading to desperate as I witnessed their everyday learning experiences. Secondly, having access to electricity is necessary to use technology for learning such as for visuals or audio or other contents. They are restricted to use electricity in the camp by the government of Bangladesh. They can use solar energy if they receive supports from NGOs or capable by themselves. Having adequate access to solar energy can help them use different technological devices and solar-powered devices. Thirdly, having access to solar energy can also improve classroom environment for lighting, cooling, and ventilation as many learning centers lack those facilities. Finally, my thesis supervisor was also informed by one of the camp authorities, Camp-in-Charge (CiC) that missing of solar panels also happen in the camps. He suggested me to include community engagement for protecting solar panels in my research. Hence, I thought of integrating both UDL and solar energy for improving education and environmental condition of the camps learning centers, Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh.

 What was the process of doing field work in the camp environment like? What obstacles did you face?

First of all, to conduct my research I received approval from Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner (RRRC) which is the main authority in the camp. I received many supports from my family, relatives and known people who helped me to collect and connect with different educators during the data collection. Knowing the Rohingya language, culture and location were helpful for me. However, some of the difficulties that I faced were heavy rain fall, flood, and camp visits through high hills in the camps. Additionally, NGO schools’ closure due to UNICEF funding crisis and protests by Bangladeshi teachers led to arise some security issues in the camp areas. Due to these reasons, I was unable to include more participants from NGO schools and some NGO schools did not allow me to observe their classes due to the local security reasons during data collection.

What does a “learning center” look and feel like? Can you describe the physical space, class size, routines, language(s) used, and the biggest constraints teachers and learners face?

There are two types learning centers in the camps such as NGO based and community based.

NGO based are supported by different implementing partners of UNICEF or other donors. The learning centers are mostly for 30-40 students in a classroom. They have separate learning centers specifically for the teaching. It usually starts 9:30am to 4pm. They use Rohingya language. The biggest constraints both the teachers and students face are lack of practical learning tools, resources, technical learning tool and recognized education.

On the other hand, the community-based schools are supported by teachers with the tuition of students. Most of them are teaching in a small portion of their own shelters. They teach 30-8h0 students in a small classroom. The classes are conducted based on the availability of the teachers mostly in the early morning or evening time. They use Rohingya language. They face a lot of challenges such as lack of fund, resources, technical and solar-powered devices, practical learning tools and lack of spaces.

Your study looks at NGO-supported and community-based learning centers. What are the most meaningful differences?

In NGO-supported schools, they have trained teachers but students face lack of practical learning tools, resources, technical learning tool and formal and recognized education. Most of the schools have access to light, ventilation and fan.

On the other hand, the community-based schools are supported by teachers with the tuition of students. Most of them are teaching in a small portion of their own shelters. The classes are conducted based on the availability of the teachers mostly in the early morning or evening time. They face a lot of challenges, lack of fund, resources, technical and solar-powered devices, practical learning tools and lack of spaces.

How does energy access show up in everyday teaching and learning at camp?

The learning centers at camps have only limited access to solar energy but no electricity grid electricity. When there is no access to energy, the learnings centers are become too hot and uncomfortable in summer and become dark and suffocating in rainy days. In hot seasons, even if the days are sunny, the classrooms become suffocating and ineffective if there is no light, fan, charging tools (battery and charging station) and digital learning tools like mobile phones or laptop.

UDL is often discussed in well-resourced contexts. How did you translate UDL into the camp reality?

I agree that UDL is often discussed in well-resourced contexts. However, I believe that UDL can be implemented in the camps based on the resources available there to increase inclusivity, equity, engagement and many more. Since I got the opportunity to learn about the implementation of UDL in one of the MA courses called “STEM in Education”, I remembered the camp education system and thought of implementing different components of UDL based on the resource availability and became very enthusiastic to conduct research on the topic with the purpose that implementing UDL can improve the quality of education there. However, there are some difficulties of implementing it completely due to the lack of energy, technology, practical learning materials, and resources.

Classroom observations can reveal things surveys miss. What did you look for during observations?

For classroom observations, I mainly only focus on examining whether teachers applied Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles in their teaching practices. Specifically, the observation examined the methods used to support multiple means of representation, action and expression, and engagement. I have seen that most teachers relied mainly on textbooks, drawings, and chart papers for content representation. Student engagement was largely limited to individual work, while action and expression were primarily supported through homework activities. Additionally, classrooms had very limited teaching and learning resources, with access mainly restricted to a whiteboard, textbooks, and markers. Seating arrangements were also basic, consisting of stools, mats, benches, and desks. In community schools, a noticeable shortage of seating arrangements was observed.

You conducted focus groups in Rohingya and worked with transcription/translation. Can you share some stories, examples and issues that stuck with you?

During the focus group discussions, several findings emerged that were unexpected, particularly regarding the differences in resources, access, infrastructure knowledge and expertise between teachers from community-based schools and NGO-based schools. Community-based school teachers were found to be more knowledgeable and motivated. Some community school teachers stated, “we cannot implement UDL properly due to the lack of financial resources, lack of space, and limited support from the government and NGOs.” In contrast, most NGO-based teachers reported that the major challenges they face include a lack of practical and digital learning materials.

In your thesis, you discuss safeguarding solar panels and community engagement. What makes solar “sustainable” in the camps?

Earlier, various NGOs provided a significant number of solar panels and solar-powered devices in the camps; however, their availability has gradually reduced, and left limited number. Based on the findings, the major causes of this reduction include theft for freedom of movement—particularly by armed groups who stole the solar panels and solar powered devices to move from one place to another between locations at night—along with inadequate nighttime safeguarding, the absence of strict policies or effective action by camp authorities such as the Camp-in-Charge (CiC), and weak collaboration among community members, NGOs, and camp authorities.

Looking ahead: what are the prospects for children growing up in refugee camps—and what would you change first?

The education system in the camp is currently very poor, leaving both students and parents worried, demotivated, and uncertain about their future. The education provided is informal, non-certified, and largely ineffective in preparing students for meaningful opportunities beyond the camps. First, I would propose that key stakeholders and the Bangladesh government take steps to formalize and certify the camp education system so that students remain motivated, hopeful, and able to use their education for future academic or livelihood pathways. Second, I would recommend that educational NGOs implement Universal Design for Learning (UDL) using the resources currently available, along with appropriate integration of solar energy and technology. This could be supported by disseminating the findings of my research within the camps, through social media platforms, and by publishing the study to inform evidence-based educational practices.