The United Nations children’s agency has laid off more than 1,000 teachers from schools in Bangladesh’s Rohingya refugee camps, citing a global funding crisis worsened by major U.S. aid cuts.

UNICEF confirmed late Tuesday that it has terminated the contracts of 1,179 staff working in kindergarten and primary education in the sprawling camps, home to nearly a million Rohingya refugees.

“Due to the global aid funding crisis, UNICEF has had to make difficult decisions impacting early education services for Rohingya refugee children,” the agency said in a statement.

The cuts come in the wake of a sharp reduction in U.S. foreign aid, following President Donald Trump’s return to office in January. The United States has historically been the largest donor to global humanitarian efforts, including those supporting the Rohingya crisis.

According to Bangladeshi aid official Md Shamsud Douza, the camps previously employed around 4,000 teachers. Schools are currently shut for the Eid holiday, but more job losses could follow if fresh funding is not secured by the end of June.

“The return of the rest of the workers... depends on new funding being secured,” UNICEF noted.

Despite the setback, UNICEF emphasized its ongoing commitment to the Rohingya children: “We remain committed and hopeful that increased support will restore what every child deserves: a future.”

Rohingya children in the camps—many of whom have faced trauma and displacement since fleeing Myanmar’s military crackdown in 2017—are now at risk of further disruptions to their education, nutrition, and protection services.

“Our goal is to ensure they have essential skills, that they have basic qualifications that give them confidence to contribute to their communities when the time is safe for them to return,” UNICEF said.

BOB Post