Even though there are schools, teachers and students in Maungdaw, no educational arrangement or coaching teachers in support of Rohingya children in rural schools since 2012 – after conflict between Rohingyas and Rakhine communities, said Hamidul Rahaman, father of four students from Maungdaw.
In the education department, most of the teachers are from Rakhine community and didn’t go to schools for security reason, and to receive their salaries on time. No one object the Rakhine teachers who come to school in the morning and leaving in the noon, without teaching. Instead, gossiping and knitting sweater, said Hamidul Rahaman.
“The Rohingya community was not allowed to join teaching jobs,” said Hamidul Rahaman.
For instance, there are nearly 400-Rohingya children and 9 appointed teacher in the primary school of Khonzabill village. However, all the teachers are Raknines and they do not teach the Rohingya children in appropriate way, according to Mohin, a well-wisher of Rohingya from Maungdaw.
Since 2012, after clashes between Rakhine and Rohingya, Rakhine teachers do not go to school in Rohingya villages. They give security reason although there is no risk for them. But the respective authority did not take any action to the teachers and they get their salary on a regular basis.
As there are police, earlier Nasaka (current BGP), army, Hloon Tin camps’ security, there is no security for them, said Rakib, a businessman from the locality.
Nur Fiasel, a local village elder said, the Rakhine teachers show up at the school at 9:00 am and chattering each other during working hour. Then, around 2:00 pm, they leave school without teachng any lesson to the students.
In similar way, in other parts of Maungdaw and Buthidaung Townships, Rakhine teachers (males and females) do not go to schools in rural areas, especially in Rohingya villages. As a result, Rohingya students are deprived of schooling, he added.
Consequently, Rohingya villagers have to arrange assigning two or three local Rohingya teachers who pass tenth grade to the school. Those Rohingya-teachers teach their children and all the expenses have been paid by the villagers.
Nearby towns, the schools teach assorted students including Rakhine and Rohingya. Rakhine teachers regularly go to school and teach lessons to the students, Petan Ali, a youth from Buthidaung, said.
However, Rohingya villagers from Khonzabill village of Maungdaw Township appointed two local Rohingya teachers in their school to provide lessons to their children, after holding a meeting on June 24. They will collect money from the village dwellers, villagers said.
The education system, under the present NLD government is unchanged similar to ex-government, in brief - “the new bottle with old wine,” said an elder.
