COMMEET
Rohingya Refugee Children: Sustainable Education in Usrah, Malaysia
Who am I, Sumaiyah Jamaludin?
My journey with COMMEET began in 2019, over time contributing to the development of three toolkits: Well-Being of Migrants & Displaced Persons, Women´s Empowerment and Vulnerable Children. Before this chapter, starting as an emergency services nurse and now with a PhD in Nursing from IIUM, I am currently an Assistant Professor at IIUM.
What was the need for the inclusive education efforts and what was done?
Rohingya refugees were visibly ignored and left dangling in all possible ways, one of them being education. Guided by its mission to serve as a leveller of society, International Islamic University of Malaysia (IIUM) university adopted the ‘communiversity’ model, in which campus and community grow together, because students go into the communities for their Islamic duty and practice as part of their study programmes. IIUM reshaped its curriculum to embrace the principles of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). It was also in this context that one project initiative was born to address the sorry situation of the Rohingya refugees: ‘Sustainable Education for Rohingya Refugee Children.’
The teaching strategies catered to the children’s literacy levels, cultural identities and spiritual needs. Guided by COMMEET’s Migrants & Displaced Persons Toolkit, the students adopted the principles of dignity, empowerment and sustainability. By embedding these principles, the project was not a one-off charity effort, but a step toward long-term Ubuntu-like community empowerment. For the Rohingya children, the project was more than just lessons; it was a doorway to hope, belonging and a sense of dignity in a world that often marginalises them.
What have been the challenges?
Language was the first hurdle and literacy the second. Attendance, too, was unpredictable, as survival came first for many families, so children were often asked to help at home or earn extra income. Besides, the scarcity of resources books, stationery and visual aids, and the lack of formal teacher training of most volunteers obstructed good education. Perhaps the most profound and hidden challenge was psychosocial burdens carried by many of the children: past traumas of displacement, the uncertainties of refugee life, and the weight of an unknown future. Deep down education here was about healing hearts.
What have been our strategies and practices?
Guided by the COMMEET Toolkit’s call to ‘start where the people are,’ we designed a flexible course plan that allowed every child to learn at their own pace. Creative teaching strategies, such as songs, games, storytelling and visual aids broke through barriers of language and fear. An important part of every session was the integration of Islamic teachings. These practices gave the chi dren a sense of belonging, affirming their faith and cultural identity while nurturing their emotional well-being.
What has been the impact of the programme?
Children who once walked into the hall shy and uncertain now enter with bright eyes and eager steps. Remarkable leaps in language command, literacy, mathematics, science and life skills have been made, and nine out of ten children can confidently recite Surah Al-Fatihah. Parents speak of their children’s excitement. Statistically, the academic results have shown significant improvements, but the emotional and social gains have been priceless.
COMMEET
What is next?
Education needs never go away for any child, so we need to keep doing what we do. We aim to acquire donations from partnerships with NGOs, Zakat institutions, corporate social responsibility (CSR) programmes, humanitarian organisations and philanthropists to fund our current projects and also to scale the initiative with all those on board. Think of simple yet vital needs, such as books, stationery, safe learning spaces, transportation and resources for our volunteers. In this way, we are answering COMMEET’s call to create resilient, community-rooted initiatives that do not collapse when resources run thin. Looking further into the future, our greatest dream is to establish a permanent community learning hub. In this hub children could gather for tutoring, literacy and numeracy lessons, while parents could attend workshops on health, parenting or even basic vocational skills. Drawing from our background in community health, we envision modules on hygiene, first aid and even antimicrobial resistance awareness. If you are interested in this specific COMMEET project in Malaysia, and you want to make our ambitions for the Rohingya refugees come true, please get into a conversation with me:
Sumaiyah Jamaludin COMMEET Fellow
IIUM: Staff Directory
sumaiyah@iium.edu.my
I really look forward to talking to you.
And if you like what you hear, please feel free to make a labelled donation here already towards our valuable work in Malaysia.
