Rohingya students to enroll in Indian schools after landmark Supreme Court ruling

NEW DELHI: Rohingya refugees in India are preparing to enroll their children in public schools following a landmark Supreme Court ruling that cleared the way for their access to education after years of denial by Indian authorities.

An estimated 40,000 Rohingya live in India and 20,000 are registered with the UN refugee agency. Most fled Myanmar in 2017 when its military launched a brutal crackdown, widely regarded as ethnic cleansing of Rohingya Muslims in western Rakhine State.

The majority live in Jammu, Delhi, Hyderabad, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, and many have faced challenges in accessing basic services due to the lack of ID cards issued by the Unique Identification Authority of India — documents they are not entitled to, as India is not a signatory to the 1951 UN Refugee Convention.

Last week, however, India’s Supreme Court ruled that Rohingya can access government schools and hospitals, even without Indian documents. The court said that children holding UNHCR cards can approach government schools for admission, and if denied, can directly seek redressal in the high court.

“Ever since we arrived in India, we have been denied education. This would be the first step toward our progress ... this will give dignity (back) to Rohingya refugees,” said Mohammad Emanul, who fled to India from Myanmar in 2018 and has been living in a refugee camp in Haryana.

In his camp alone, students and their families are already preparing for school enrollment when the new admission session starts in April.

“Where I live, more than 100 students have dropped out of schools, and they will take the admission in the new session if the schools allow them to enter. They will be again continuing their education,” Emanul told Arab News.

“In our refugee journey across the world, we feel blind. Even though we have eyes, we cannot see. We also feel dumb because sometimes our words are not heard by others as we are uneducated. So, we believe that in this world we are nothing without education. Education is the only solution for all these barriers.”

Sadiq Khan, another refugee who also lives in Haryana, hopes his daughter will be able to return to the classroom after being denied school since the eighth grade.

“I hope the Supreme Court’s decision will help us and she will be able to enroll in a public school. I will reach out to the school for admission,” he said. “The court’s decision opens a wonderful opportunity for us refugees, who don’t have any opportunities.”

But while the top court’s order is in place, no circular has been sent to schools. If denied their right to education again, Rohingya students will have to brace for a legal battle.

“It is a step in the right direction that the Supreme Court has permitted Rohingya children to study in public schools, but they should have gone a step further by ensuring it as a right. Right to education should be there for every child no matter what their ethnicity, background or religion,” said Priyali Suri, director of Azadi Project, an NGO that works for refugees.

“By putting the onus on the children to seek admission and approach high courts if denied admission, it has fallen short. Children should have the right to education, period. They should not be running pillar to post to have to access education.”