AC CES S TO E D U CATI ON, EMPLOYMENT, AND HE ALTHCA RE has been declared compulsory. Therefore, Rohingya children aged six to ten living in such an area are arguably covered by this Act. PROTECTIO N NOT ES Where the GoB has declared primary education compulsory for children residing in an area, access to primary education for Rohingya children should be ensured according to this law. The territory of the camps in Ukhiya and Teknaf should be considered areas where such a declaration has been made. Policy: The National Education Policy, 2010 S UMMARY This Policy defines the goals of the Government in the field of education. A PPL ICAB IL IT Y TO RO H I NGYA This Policy states, “equal opportunities will be created to ensure access of all sections of children to primary education irrespective of ethnicity, socio-economic conditions, physical or mental challenges and geographical differences. This is the constitutional responsibility of the State.” This Policy explicitly mentions “foreigners” in Chapter 4 relating to secondary education, noting the importance of Bangla lessons for foreigners. It should thus be applicable to Rohingya children in Bangladesh. PROTECTIO N NOT ES Rohingya children should be provided access to primary education, in line with the stated objective to make primary education “universal, compulsory, free and of uniform quality for all.” This would align with the constitutional directive under Article 17 for the State to adopt effective measures for the purpose of “establishing a uniform, mass-oriented and universal system of education and extending free and compulsory education to all children to such stage as may be determined by law.” Rohingya adolescents and adults should also be enabled and encouraged to enrol in secondary and higher education. In particular, Rohingya women should benefit from initiatives aimed at promoting equal access of women to educational opportunities in line with the aims and objectives of the Policy as laid out in Chapter 16 on Women’s Education. Bangla language instruction should be made available for Rohingya as per the Policy on Secondary Education (Chapter 4). This will enable them to better understand their rights and obligations in Bangladesh and under Bangladeshi laws. Importantly, this will help them implement their right to education. 74 BE YOND REFU GE: ADVANCING LEG AL PROTECTIONS FOR ROHINGYA C OMMUNITIES IN BANGL ADESH

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