Education the key to Rohingya survival

As many Malaysian parents prepare their children to start the new schooling year, not much has changed for children of Rohingya refugees around Selayang, near Kuala Lumpur.

With the lack of access to formal education, their only hope lies with informal classes run by non-governmental organisations.

On the third floor of a refugee centre operated by several local NGOs, some 80 children of all ages sit along rows of tables across a packed classroom.

Some were sharing their exercise books or scribbling on blank sheets of paper as their teacher, who is also a Rohingya refugee, stood in front of the classroom.