"For children and young people, the protracted state of limbo has awoken an intense desire for learning opportunities that prepare them for the future. When the huge infl ux of refugees began in 2017, UNICEF and partners responded by setting up large numbers of Learning Centres in the camps. For children unable to fi nd space in the Centres, other options have emerged: religious schools (madrasas) provide free lessons in Koranic studies, Arabic and other subjects; and private and group tutors offer classes for those who can afford them. By June 2019, the overall education sector had provided non-formal education to 280,000 children aged 4 to 14. UNICEF and its partners have ensured access to learning for 192,000 of those children, enrolled in 2,167 Learning Centres. At the same time, this leaves a gap of over 25,000 children not attending any learning programmes, while an additional 640 learning centres are needed. Furthermore, an estimated 97 per cent of adolescents and youth aged 15 to 18 years are not enrolled in any type of learning facility. Parents are concerned that the longer their children are deprived of education, the greater the risk that they will be exposed to exploitation and abuse. “Educated people have a value wherever they are,” said Mohamed Hussein, who sends two of his children to a Learning Centre in Camp 18. “Whether my son goes back to Myanmar or to Malaysia or anywhere else, the same is true.”..."