Host community college education

Perceptions of teachers and students on Rohingya influx in Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.32674/ef6hzy42

Keywords:

Perception, College Education, Host community , Refugee influx, Pedagogy , Assessment

Abstract

This study highlighted how teachers and students perceive the effects of the influx of Rohingya refugees on the teaching-learning environment of colleges for higher education in Cox’s Bazar district of Bangladesh. It revealed the issues of admission, the academic environment of the colleges, the attendance and performance of the students, pedagogical changes, the learning attitudes of the students, and the retention, graduation, and well-being of the prime stakeholders. To that end, it deployed an interpretivist approach and qualitative methods of in-depth interviews and focus group discussions with teachers and students from the targeted colleges of the district. In thematic analysis, both teachers and students perceive the crisis negatively, which they have identified as a ‘generation gap’ in terms of contributions to the nation's human resources. The teaching-learning environment of college education has deteriorated since the influx and crisis that has occurred in the locality. Some ad hoc pedagogical-cognitive and local decisions have been made to continue education minimally.

Author Biographies

  • Sodip Roy, Bangladesh Open University, Gazipur, Bangladesh

    Sodip Roy is currently an Associate Professor of Political Science at the Open School of Bangladesh Open University. Prior to join in this university, he was a lecturer of Political Science at AHZ Government College, Madargonj, Jamalpur. He studied at University of Dhaka, Durham University (UK) and University of Nottingham (Malaysia). Sodip’s research focuses on informal tools and strategies of teaching-learning, Open and Distance Learning as well as Rohingya refugee crisis in South and South East Asia. His research appears at nationally and internationally as journal articles, book chapters and book reviews. He can be reached at sodip.roy@bou.ac.bd

  • Santosh Kumar Behera, Kazi Nazrul University, India

    Dr. Santosh Kumar Behera is presently working as an Associate Professor, Department of Education, Kazi Nazrul University, Paschim Bardhaman, West Bengal-713340, India. After completion of Graduate Degree from Fakir Mohan University, Odisha, he got himself admitted to M.A. in Education at Vinaya Bhavana, Visva Bharati (A Central University in India) and then he done his research work leading to Ph.D. entitled “An Investigation into the Attitude of SC and ST Children of Southern Orissa towards Education” at Vinaya Bhavana, Visva-Bharati, Santiniketan. Dr. Behera has more than 14 years of teaching experience of which 12 years spent exclusively at the PG level. His research interests are related to SC and ST Education / Tribal Education, Educational Technology, Philosophy of Education, Teacher Education, Indian Knowledge System and Higher Education.  He has contributed lots of articles and edited volumes in the educational field. Email: santosh.behera@knu.ac.in

References

Alam, M. (2018). Enduring entanglement: The multi-sectoral impact of the Rohingya crisis on neighboring Bangladesh. Georgetown Journal of International Affairs, 19, 20-26.

Alam, A., Dutta, I., & Haque, M. E. (2020). Economic Impact of the Rohingya Refugees: A Natural Experiment (No. 2007). Economics, The University of Manchester.

Amsalu, A., & Belay, S. (2024). Analyzing the Contribution of School Climate to Academic Achievement Using Structural Equation Modeling. SAGE Open, 14(1), https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244024122727

Ansar, A. & Khaled A., F., M. (2021). From solidarity to resistance: host communities’ evolving response to the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. Journal of International Humanitarian Action, 6(1), 1-14.

Aqda, M. F., Hamidi, F., & Ghorbandordinejad, F. (2011). The impact of constructivist and cognitive distance instructional design on the learner’s creativity. Procedia computer science, 3, 260-265.

Assaad, R. A., Ginn, T., & Saleh, M. (2019). Impact of Syrian Refugees on Education Outcomes in Jordan. Available at: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3474430.

Baez, J. E. (2011). Civil wars beyond their borders: The human capital and health consequences of hosting refugees. Journal of development economics, 96(2), 391-408.

Bakebillah, M., & Ahmad, M. M. (2024). Half a Decade of the Rohingya Refugee Crisis: The Threats to Peace and Sustainability in Bangladesh. In Navigating Peace and Sustainability in an Increasingly Complex World (pp. 137-157). Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore.

BANBEIS (2020). http://banbeis.portal.gov.bd/sites/default/files/files/banbeis.portal.gov.bd

/files/29479d98_ae35_4471_9087_0924aacd88d3/College_Final.pdf

BANBEIS (2021). Bangladesh Education Statistics 2021. http://www.banbeis.gov.bd/sites/default/files/files/banbeis.portal.gov.bd/files/5f3f6878_6800_42f3_93da_5d800300d234/Bangladesh%20Education%20Statistics%202021_compressed-1-235.pdf

Barbour, R., & Kitzinger, J. (Eds.). (1998). Developing focus group research: politics, theory and practice. Sage.

Beckers, R., Van der Voordt, T., & Dewulf, G. (2016). Learning space preferences of higher education students. Building and Environment, 104, 243-252.

Bilgili, Ö., Loschmann, C., Fransen, S., & Siegel, M. (2019). Is the education of local children influenced by living near a refugee camp? evidence from host communities in Rwanda. International Migration, 57(4), 291-309.

Briggs, C. L. (1986). Learning how to ask: A sociolinguistic appraisal of the role of the interview in social science research. Cambridge university press.

Burnard, P., Gill, P., Stewart, K., Treasure, E., & Chadwick, B. (2008). Analysing and presenting qualitative data. British Dental Journal, 204(8), 429. https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bdj.2008.292

Chambers, R. (1986). Hidden losers? The impact of rural refugees and refugee programs on poorer hosts. International migration review, 20(2), 245-263.

Chen, D. P., Chang, S. W., Burgess, A., Tang, B., Tsao, K. C., Shen, C. R., & Chang, P. Y. (2023). Exploration of the external and internal factors that affected learning effectiveness for the students: a questionnaire survey. BMC Medical Education, 23(1), 49.

Chowdhury, M. H., Absar, M. M. N., & Quader, S. M. (2020). Challenges and Developments in the Higher Education System of Bangladesh: Keys to Way Forward. Handbook of Education Systems in South Asia, 1-32.

Cohen, L., Manion, L., & Morrison, K. (2007). Research methods in education. Routledge.

Coast Trust (2018). Crisis with the Crisis: A Study on impact of Rohingya influx on host community. Available from: https://coastbd.net/crisis-within-the-crisis-a-study-on-impact-of-rohingya-influx-on-the-host-community/

Creswell, J. (2009). Research Design. Qualitative, Quantitative and Mixed approaches. SAGE Publication.

Divaris, K., Barlow, P. J., Chendea, S. A., Cheong, W. S., Dounis, A., Dragan, I. F., ... & Vrazic, D. (2008). The academic environment: the students’ perspective. European Journal of Dental Education, 12, 120-130.

Ehsan, S. M. A. (2021). Revisiting Tertiary Education System in Bangladesh: In Quest for Unraveling Existing Issues and Challenges. Journal of Contemporary Governance and Public Policy, 2(1), 45-66.

Entwistle, N. J., & Ramsden, P. (1983). Understanding student learning. London: Croom Helm.

Entwistle, N. J., & Tait, H. (1990). Approaches to learning, evaluations of teaching, and preferences for contrasting academic environments. Higher Education, 19, 169–194.

Figlio, D., & Özek, U. (2019). Unwelcome guests? The effects of refugees on the educational outcomes of incumbent students. Journal of Labor Economics, 37(4), 1061-1096.

Foster, C. (2008). Learning for understanding: Engaging and interactive knowledge visualization. Technology Enhanced Learning Research Group, Durham University, Durham.

Fraser, B. J., & Walberg, H. J. (1991). Educational environments: evaluation, antecedents and consequences. Pergamon Press.

Guba, E. G., & Lincoln, Y. S. (1988). Do inquiry paradigms imply inquiry methodologies. Qualitative approaches to evaluation in education, 1(1), 89-115.

Habib, Md. R., Chowdhury, A. R., & Uldanov, A. (2024). Creating Pathways to Opportunity: Non-formal Educational ‘Inclusion’ for Rohingya Refugee Children in Bangladesh. Journal of South Asian Development, 19(1), 61-82. https://doi.org/10.1177/09731741231202872

Halperin, S., & Heath, O. (2020). Political research: methods and practical skills. Oxford University Press.

Hoepfl, M. C. (1997). Choosing qualitative research: A primer for technology education researchers. Journal of Technology Education, 9(1), 47-63.

Hopwood, N. (2004). Research design and methods of data collection and analysis: Researching students' conceptions in a multiple‐method case study. Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 28(2), 347-353. http://doi.org/10.1080/0309826042000242558

Islam, S., Eva, N.F., Khan, M.R., & Mahfuzur, K. (2024). Exploring the transformative effects of the Rohingya settlement on secondary school students in Bangladesh. Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies in Education, 13(S1). 253-282. https://doi.org/10.32674/fd4c1g22

Manninen, J., Burman, A., Koivunen, A., Kuittinen, E., Luukannel, S., Passi, S., & Särkkä, H. (2007). Environments supporting learning: Introduction to learning-environment-thinking. Helsinki, Finland: Finnish National Broad of Education.

Menye, L. C. S., & Army, K. (2012). Socio-Economic Impact of Refugees on the Areas Neighboring Camps: A Case Study of Kenya’s Refugee Camps. Commander’s Guide to Supporting Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons, 45.

Merriam, S. B. (1998). Qualitative Research and Case Study Applications in Education. Revised and Expanded from" Case Study Research in Education." Jossey-Bass Publishers.

Miah, A.S.M.J., Islam, T., Fasse, A., Anjum, I., Morshed, K., Akhter, M.E., Sultana, N., & Rayhan, M.I. (2024). Social cohesion and reconciliation between the Rohingya and host communities in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. Southeast Asia: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 24(1), 16-26. https://doi.org/10.1108/SEAMJ-07-2023-0055

Morieson, L., Murray, G., Wilson, R., Clarke, B., & Lukas, K. (2018). Belonging in space: Informal learning spaces and the student experience. Journal of Learning Spaces, 7(2).

Nunkoosing, K. (2005). The problems with interviews. Qualitative Health Research, 15, 698-706. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049732304273903.

Oldenburg, R. (2001). Celebrating the Third Place: Inspiring Stories about the ’Great Good Places’ at the Heart of our Communities, Marlowe and Company.

Palinkas, L. A., Horwitz, S. M., Green, C. A., Wisdom, J. P., Duan, N., & Hoagwood, K. (2015). Purposeful sampling for qualitative data collection and analysis in mixed method implementation research. Administration and policy in mental health and mental health services research, 42(5), 533-544.

Patton, M. Q. (2002). Qualitative research and evaluation methods. Sage Publications.

Ramsden, P. (1997). The context of learning in academic departments. In F. Marton, D. Hounsell, & N. J. Entwistle (Eds.), The experience of learning (2nd ed, pp. 198–216). Scottish Academic Press.

REACH (2021). Bangladesh: Assessment of the Education Sector Response to the Rohingya Crisis- Rohingya refugee response. https://reliefweb.int/report/bangladesh/bangladesh-assessment-education-sector-response-rohingya-crisis-rohingya-refugee.

Rehman, A. A., & Alharthi, K. (2016). An introduction to research paradigms. International Journal of Educational Investigations, 3(8), 51-59.

Rhem, J. (1995). Deep/surface approaches to learning: An introduction. In The National Teaching and Learning Forum (Vol. 5, No. 1, pp. 1-5).

Richards, L. (2020). Handling qualitative data: A practical guide. Sage.

Roy, S. (2020). Student Cabinet and Curricular Activities: A Case Study of a Secondary School in Bangladesh. Journal of Education and Research, 10(2), 7-26.

Rozo, S., & Sviastchi, M. (2018). Are refugees a burden? impacts of refugee inflows on host’s consumption expenditures (No. 2018-3).

Sabastini, P. (2023). Unexpected neighbours: The impact of the rohingya refugee influx on the education of indigenous communities in Teknaf (Doctoral dissertation, Brac University).

Shah, R. (2018). Evaluation of NRC’s Host Community Education Programme in Jordan. Norwegian Refugee Council.

Shohel, M. M. C. (2020). Education in emergencies: challenges of providing education for Rohingya children living in refugee camps in Bangladesh. Education Inquiry, 1-23.

Siddique, W. (2019). The impact of Rohingya refugees on the local host community: the case of Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh (Master's thesis). Tampere University.

Stukalina, Y. (2012). Addressing service quality issues in higher education: the educational environment evaluation from the students' perspective. Technological and economic development of economy, 18(1), 84-98.

Struyven, K., Dochy, F., Janssens, S., & Gielen, S. (2006). On the dynamics of students' approaches to learning: The effects of the teaching/learning environment. Learning and instruction, 16(4), 279-294.

Sunkad, M. A., Javali, S., Shivapur, Y., & Wantamutte, A. (2015). Health sciences students’ perception of the educational environment of KLE University, India as measured with the Dundee Ready Educational Environment Measure (DREEM). Journal of educational evaluation for health professions, 12.

Treagust, D. F., & Fraser, B. J. (1986). Validation and Application of the College and University Classroom Environment Inventory (CUCEI).

Tumen, S. (2018). The impact of low-skill refugees on youth education. Available at: https://www.iza.org/publications/dp/11869/the-impact-of-low-skill-refugees-on-youth-education

UNHCR (2024) Figures at a glance.

https://www.unhcr.org/about-unhcr/who-we-are/figures-glance

UNDP and UN Women (2018): Social Impact Assessment of Rohingya refugee crisis into Bangladesh. Available from: https://www.humanitarianresponse.info/files/assessments/171207_social_impact_assessment_and_rapid_host_community_impact_assessment_summary.pdf

Usman, Y. D., & Madudili, C. G. (2019). Evaluation of the Effect of Learning Environment on Students' Academic Performance in Nigeria. Online Submission.

Valtonen, T., Leppänen, U., Hyypiä, M., Kokko, A., Manninen, J., Vartiainen, H., ... & Hirsto, L. (2020). Learning environments preferred by university students: a shift toward informal and flexible learning environments. Learning Environments Research, 1-18.

Winter, G. (2000). A comparative discussion of the notion of validity in qualitative and

quantitative research. The Qualitative Report, 4(3&4).

http://www.nova.edu/ssss/QR/QR4-3/winter.html

Zareen, M. (2020). Effect of insecure environment on the academic performance of female students in Pakistan. Psychology, Evaluation, and Technology in Educational Research, 3(1), 9-16.

Downloads

Published

2025-06-22

How to Cite

Roy, S. ., & Behera, S. K. . (2025). Host community college education: Perceptions of teachers and students on Rohingya influx in Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh. Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies in Education, 14(3), 149-172. https://doi.org/10.32674/ef6hzy42