What Factors Have Led to Increased Access to Education for Rohingya Refugee Girls in Camps in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh Since 2017?
Ishna Adhilya Arooz
31/08/2026
Since the mass displacement of Rohingya refugees to Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, in 2017, access to education has remained one of the most significant humanitarian challenges, particularly for girls. While existing scholarship has extensively documented the barriers restricting girls' educational participation, comparatively little attention has been given to the factors associated with recent improvements in educational access. This literature review examines the research question: What factors have contributed to the increased access to education for Rohingya refugee girls in the refugee camps of Cox's Bazar since 2017?
Using a qualitative literature review methodology, this study synthesises peer-reviewed academic literature alongside reports from humanitarian organisations, including UNICEF, UNHCR, Human Rights Watch, Plan International, and the International Rescue Committee. Sources published from 2017 onwards were analysed using thematic analysis to identify recurring explanations for changes in girls' educational participation.
The review identifies four interconnected factors associated with increasing educational access: changing cultural attitudes towards girls' education, continued support from non-governmental and international organisations, practical economic motivations among refugee families, and the growing visibility of educated girls as role models within refugee communities. Rather than acting independently, these factors appear to reinforce one another, contributing to gradual shifts in educational participation despite the continued presence of structural barriers such as poverty, early marriage, and limited access to secondary education.
The findings suggest that improvements in girls' educational access are best understood as the result of interacting social, institutional, and economic processes rather than any single intervention. By focusing on the factors associated with positive educational change, this review contributes to a more balanced understanding of refugee education and highlights the importance of sustained, community-based approaches to promoting gender equity within humanitarian contexts.