No University Would Take Them. So They Built Their Own: The Story of the Rohingya Academic Research Institute
Founded in 2022 by Kaisayr Husein, the Rohingya Academic Research Institute is giving more than 100 Rohingya students access to university-standard academic education, completely free of charge, taught by professors and PhD scholars from across the world. For a community denied access to formal education for decades, RAR Institute is not just an academic programme. It is a lifeline.
Photo Source: RAR Institute / Official
COX'S BAZAR, Bangladesh, Inside the sprawling refugee camps of Cox's Bazar, where more than one million Rohingya live in conditions of overcrowding, uncertainty, and restricted opportunity, a quiet revolution is taking place. Young men and women who completed their matriculation with nowhere left to go academically are now studying research methodology, international humanitarian law, political science, and qualitative analysis, taught by professors from universities in Geneva, Australia, India, Pakistan, and the Philippines.
They are students of the Rohingya Academic Research Institute, known as RAR Institute. And for many of them, it is the only university-level education they will ever have access to.
Born From Necessity
RAR Institute was founded in 2022 by Kaisayr Husein, a young Rohingya visionary whose own experience of educational exclusion drove him to build something that had never existed before: a structured, internationally connected academic institution designed specifically for Rohingya students who had nowhere else to turn.
The Rohingya have faced systematic exclusion from education in Myanmar for decades. After the 2012 violence, university doors were closed to them entirely. After the 2017 genocide, the more than 700,000 Rohingya who fled to Bangladesh found themselves in camps where formal higher education was not available. An entire generation of young people completed their schooling and then stopped, not because they lacked ability or ambition, but because the system offered them nothing further.
Kaisayr Husein decided to change that.
"Justice begins with knowledge," he said, "and knowledge begins with the courage to seek the truth." That founding conviction shaped everything RAR Institute became.
What RAR Institute Offers
RAR Institute is a non-profit organisation operating entirely online through live lectures, blended learning, academic workshops and supervised research. It is free of charge, with no certificate fees and no admission fees. Any Rohingya student who has completed matriculation can apply.
The institute currently offers two flagship programmes. The first is a Two-Year Diploma in Academic Research Studies, a rigorous university-standard programme covering research methodology, qualitative and quantitative methods, data analysis, academic writing, literature review, ethical research conduct and independent scholarly research. The programme runs across four coursework semesters followed by a full year of independent research, totalling 32 credits aligned with international academic diploma standards. It is taught in English through a global faculty network.
The second programme is an Associate Degree in Political Science, a two-year programme covering political theory, governance, international relations, civic engagement and research skills. It carries 60 credits and prepares students for further academic study at bachelor's degree level, as well as careers in public service, NGOs, research institutions and community leadership.
RAR Institute is now also considering extending its intake to students certified by the Examination Board of Rohingya, broadening access to those whose qualifications were awarded through Rohingya-specific educational pathways rather than national board examinations.
More than 100 students are currently enrolled and studying across these programmes.
A Global Faculty, Teaching From Their Hearts
What makes RAR Institute remarkable is not only what it teaches but who is teaching it. The institute has assembled a faculty of internationally credentialed academics who give their time and knowledge freely, driven by a shared belief that Rohingya youth deserve access to the same quality of education as any student anywhere in the world.
Prof. Dr. Israel Nyadera, Research Associate at the Centre for Conflict, Development and Peacebuilding at the Geneva Graduate Institute, described the institute as a vital platform for nurturing young minds.
"Mr. Kaisayr's commitment to nurturing intellectual growth and advocacy within the Rohingya community is not only commendable but transformative," he said. "His leadership has created a space where ideas flourish, perspectives are broadened, and future changemakers are nurtured."
Prof. Wendell Glenn P. Cagape, a PhD holder in Education and Southeast Asian Studies and a social science researcher and Rohingya rights advocate at Centro Escolar University in the Philippines, said he was deeply moved by the students' determination.
"Mr. Kaisayr is an inspiration for the Rohingya generation in Myanmar, Bangladesh, and beyond," he said. "The world needs individuals like Mr. Kaisayr, who continue to drive and inspire the younger generation of Rohingya scholars."
Dr. Mohammed Hashiru, a PhD holder in International Relations and a researcher and instructor at Gazi University Foundation School, spoke of what he witnessed during his sessions with RAR students in terms that were striking in their directness.
"What is truly mind-boggling is how they continue to thrive despite the difficult circumstances and injustices they face, many of them living in fragile tents and neglected camps," he said. "Given the chance and opportunity, they will stand shoulder to shoulder with students from anywhere in the world."
Prof. Rupali Sarkar, who is affiliated with RAR Institute, the M.S. University of Baroda in Gujarat, Reading University in the UK and Wexham Secondary School in the UK, described her experience at the institute as deeply rewarding and said it had strengthened her commitment to fostering innovation and excellence in education.
Aasima Banu Sheikh, Faculty of the Department of Political Science at Lilong Haoreibi College, Manipur University in India, who conducts weekly lectures in research methodology at RAR, said what inspires her most is seeing research methodology placed at the centre of the curriculum.
"It will eventually give wings to countless dreams," she said, "in empowering individuals to pursue their own independent research."
Muhammad Fahim, a Doctoral Research Fellow at Monash University in Australia, said the enthusiasm and commitment of RAR students left a lasting impression on him.
"Their eagerness to learn, to debate, and to imagine a better future stands as a testament to the institute's impact," he said.
Dr. Fida Ahmed, Director of ORIC at the University of Turbat in Pakistan, who gave a lecture on the smart use of AI tools in academic writing, said the emerging researchers he encountered at RAR left a lasting impression on him. "Their intellect, motivation to learn, and sincerity left a lasting impression on me," he said.
Shwe Yi Myint Myat, a PhD Scholar at the Asian Institute of Technology and a Royal Thai Government Scholar and DAAD Scholar who has previously taught in Karen refugee camps, drew a direct parallel between her experience teaching Karen refugees and her work with RAR students.
"Their curiosity, discipline, and passion remind us that all refugee youth should have access to education," she said. "Education is not a privilege, but a fundamental human right that restores dignity, builds confidence, and empowers refugee youth to shape their future."
Dr. Pelekeh H. Tapang, PhD in Political Science and Public Administration, Chairman of the American Political Science Association's Human Rights Section Best Research Paper Award, and Board Member of the International Political Science Association's Research Committee 46, offered perhaps the most powerful framing of what RAR Institute represents.
"Teaching Rohingya migrants is not an act of charity," he said. "It is a profound act of epistemic justice, a restoration of voices that have been systematically silenced by the architecture of displacement. At RAR Institute, I hope to empower students to theorize and articulate their own social and political futures. Joining RAR Institute is, for me, both a professional fulfillment and a moral duty."
International Recognition
In 2025, RAR Institute's impact was acknowledged on an international stage. Kaisayr Husein received the Global Education Award from the Global Excellence Conclave, powered by the International Education Accreditation Council, at a ceremony in Bangkok, Thailand. The award recognised Excellence in Educational Leadership and Community Development.
For the Rohingya community, the recognition carried a significance that went beyond a single individual or institution. It was proof, formal and internationally acknowledged, that a refugee-led academic institution built inside the camps of Cox's Bazar could reach the highest standards of educational excellence.
"This achievement is a historic milestone for the Rohingya community," RAR Institute said in a statement, "proving that refugee-led institutions can excel and be celebrated on an international stage."
A Historic First: The Graduation of RAR Institute's Pioneer Batch
On February 28, 2025, RAR Institute marked one of the most significant milestones in its short but remarkable history. The institute's first batch of students completed their Diploma in Academic Research Studies, becoming the first Rohingya students to graduate from a structured, internationally connected academic research programme built entirely within and for their own community.
For students who spent years living in refugee camps with little hope of accessing higher education, the ceremony was more than an academic achievement. It was a statement to the world that Rohingya youth, given the opportunity, will excel.
Research, Publications and Future Plans
Beyond its academic programmes, RAR Institute is building a body of knowledge about the Rohingya community through its Reports and Journals division, which produces in-depth research on human rights, education, displacement and other critical issues. The institute also runs a range of projects and initiatives with specific goals in research, development and community support.
Looking ahead, RAR Institute envisions expanding its academic, research and empowerment initiatives to reach Rohingya youth not only in the refugee camps of Bangladesh but across diaspora communities worldwide. Building on four years of achievement, the institute is working to scale its reach, deepen its curriculum and strengthen its partnerships with universities and academic institutions across the globe.
A Community That Refuses to Stop Learning
Every lecturer and professor who has engaged with RAR Institute says, in different words but with the same meaning: these students are extraordinary.
They study on mobile phones with limited data. They attend live lectures from inside tents and shelters in one of the world's most overcrowded refugee settlements. They write research papers and engage in academic debates while living with the daily weight of statelessness, displacement and uncertainty. And they do it because they believe, with a conviction that is both heartbreaking and deeply inspiring, that education is the path forward.
For Kaisayr Husein, that belief is the foundation of everything RAR Institute has built and everything it is still building.
"Justice begins with knowledge," he said, "and knowledge begins with the courage to seek the truth."
For more than 100 Rohingya students studying at RAR Institute today, that courage is not in short supply.