Open Journal Systems

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and education for Rohingya refugees in Malaysia

Aizat Khairi, Ibrahim Ahmad, Suadi Zainal

Article ID: 1915
Vol 8, Issue 2, 2023, Article identifier:

VIEWS - 370 (Abstract) 180 (PDF)

Abstract

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and education for Rohingya refugees in Malaysia are examined in this paper. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) serve as a blueprint for achieving a better and more sustainable future for all. Its fourth goal is to improve educational quality and enable socioeconomic mobility to help people escape poverty. The problem for Rohingya refugees in Malaysia is that they are not officially recognized by the host government. This study has been conducted using a qualitative approach. Purposive sampling has been chosen to identify respondents like United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees(UNHCR) personnel, Rohingya refugees, and local non-governmental organizations (NGOs). A semi-structured interview question was used to collect the information from the respondents. As a result, one of the consequences is that their children are not permitted to attend government-run schools for formal education. This situation has left them dissatisfied and concerned about their future in Malaysia. Nonetheless, in order to leverage the SDGs’ goal and achieve its motto of “leaving no one behind”, the UNHCR, as an international UN body, made an effort to provide access to the education sector. These efforts aim not only to improve educational quality, but also to strengthen ties between the refugee community and the host society. The local NGOs also collaborate with UNHCR in terms of financial support to further their secondary and even tertiary study. Despite those challenges, it still strives to achieve the SDG No. 4 target to reach the quality of education for Rohingya refugees. As a result, efforts to improve education for Rohingyas in Malaysia are ongoing, and all stakeholders must work together to make it a reality.

Keywords

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); Rohingya refugees; UNHCR; education; Malaysia

Full Text:

PDF



References

1. Gatrell P. Raw material: UNHCR’s individual case files as a historical source, 1951–75. History Workshop Journal 2021; 92: 226–241. doi: 10.1093/hwj/dbab019

2. UNHCR. Asylum in the UK. United Nations high commissioner for refugees. Available online: https://www.unhcr.org/uk/asylum-uk (accessed on 24 August 2023).

3. Ghosn F, Chu TS, Simon M, et al. The journey home: Violence, anchoring, and refugee decisions to return. American Political Science Review 2021; 115(3): 982–998. doi: 10.1017/S0003055421000344

4. Fauzan F, Helmi H, Harza Z, Oktavia S. Capacity building and market intervention for refugees: A study of current and future direction towards sustainable refugee management. Andalas Journal of International Studies 2020; 9(1): 48–60. doi: 10.25077/ajis.9.1.48-60.2020

5. Pascucci E. More logistics, less aid: Humanitarian-business partnerships and sustainability in the refugee camp. World Development 2021; 142: 105424. doi: 10.1016/j.worlddev.2021.105424

6. Nadin P. The United Nations: A history of success and failure. Australian Quarterly 2019; 90(4): 11–17.

7. Wahab AA, Khairi A. Smuggling of Rohingyas from Myanmar to Malaysia: A threat to human security. Akademika 2020; 90(3): 27–37.

8. Khairi A, Ladiqi S, Rashidi SN. Lesson learned of Rohingya persecution in Myanmar for sustainable development and policy transformation in Malaysia. Journal of Public Administration and Government 2020; 2(2): 72–77. doi: 10.22487/jpag.v2i2.108

9. Khairi A, Na’eim Ajis M. Human security, United Nations and Rohingya refugees in Malaysia. Journal Community 2016; 2(3): 256–269. doi: 10.35308/jcpds.v2i3.95

10. Wahab AA, Khairi A. Moving onward: Transnationalism and factors influencing Rohingyas’ migration from Bangladesh to Malaysia. Journal of Nusantara Studies 2019; 4(1): 49–68. doi: 10.24200/jonus.vol4iss1

11. Khairi A, Askandar K, Wahab AA. From Myanmar to Malaysia: Protracted refugee situations of Rohingya people. International Journal of Engineering and Technology 2018; 7: 192–196. doi: 10.14419/ijet.v7i3.25.17545

12. Khairi A, Wahab AA. The smuggling activity and irregular migration to Malaysia: A case study of the Muslim Rohingya from Myanmar. Global Journal Al-Thaqafah 2018; 8(1): 73. doi: 10.7187/GJAT072018-6

13. Khairi A. The dilemma of Rohingya refugees a boat people: The role of Malaysia, its neighbors and ASEAN. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences 2016; 6(12): 481–489. doi: 10.6007/ijarbss/v6-i12/2512

14. Khairi A. From academia to NGO: The role of REPUSM in providing alternative education for Rohingya refugees’ children in Penang Island. International Journal of Innovative Technology and Exploring Engineering 2019; 8(12): 5596–5599. doi: 10.35940/ijitee. L4017.1081219

15. Mahaseth H, Banusekar S. Living in the shadows: Rohingya refugees in Malaysia. Asian Journal of International Law 2022; 12(2): 259–266. doi: 10.1017/S2044251322000091

16. Nazri AS, Talib Khalid KA, Sulaiman N, Gidah ME. Untangling the needs of refugees in Malaysia: The way forward. Journal of Nusantara Studies 2022; 7(1): 196–220. doi: 10.24200/jonus.vol7iss1

17. Kassim A. Transnational marriages among Muslim refugees and their implications on their status and identity: The case of the Rohingyas in Malaysia. Available online: http://repository.tufs.ac.jp/bitstream/10108/93077/1/B182-09.pdf (accessed on 24 August 2023).

18. Palik J. Education for Rohingya refugee children in Malaysia. Available online: https://www.prio.org/publications/12325 (accessed on 24 August 2023).

19. Farzana KF, Pero SDM, Othman MF. The dream’s door: Educational marginalization of Rohingya children in Malaysia. South Asian Journal of Business and Management Cases 2020; 9(2): 237–246. doi: 10.1177/2277977920905819

20. Togoo RR, Ismail FHBM. Security dilemma of Rohingya refugees in Malaysia. Open Journal of Political Science 2021; 11: 12–20. doi: 10.4236/ojps.2021.111002

21. Denaro C, Giuffre M. UN Sustainable Development Goals and the “refugee gap”: Leaving refugees behind? Refugee Survey Quarterly 2022; 41(1): 79–107. doi: 10.1093/rsq/hdab017

22. Van Den Hoek J, Friedrich HK, Ballasiotes A, et al. Development after displacement: Evaluating the utility of OpenStreetMap data for monitoring sustainable development goal progress in refugee settlements. ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information 2021; 10(3): 153. doi: 10.3390/ijgi10030153

23. Wardeh M, Marques RC. Sustainability in refugee camps: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Sustainability 2021; 13(14): 7686. doi: 10.3390/su13147686

24. World Vision. Rohingya Refugees in Bangladesh: Facts, FAQs, and How to Help. World Vision; 2019.

25. Torok D, Ball J. Renegotiating identity and agency in everyday oppression: Experiences of forced migrant youth in Malaysia. Social Sciences 2021; 10(8): 296. doi: 10.3390/socsci10080296

26. Yunus RM, Azme N, Chen XW, et al. The need to map existing health care services for refugees in Malaysia. Journal of Global Health 2021; 11: 03024. doi: 10.7189/jogh.11.03024


DOI: https://doi.org/10.54517/esp.v8i2.1915
(370 Abstract Views, 180 PDF Downloads)

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Copyright (c) 2023 Aizat Khairi, Ibrahim Ahmad, Suadi Zainal

License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/