After over four years of providing life-changing education to Rohingya girls in the world’s largest refugee camp in Bangladesh, the Board of Maiya School has made the difficult decision to close the school at the end of the 2026 school year. 

Maiya School was one of the few schools in the Cox’s Bazar camp to remain open in recent months. However due to a shortage of funds, it can no longer continue to operate. The last day for students will be 30 June which is the final day of the 2026 school year.

“We are so proud of the impact of Maiya School and the opportunities it has afforded its young female students,” said Maiya School co-founder Pip Nilsson. “We know that when girls are educated, communities become healthier with better child and maternal health. Importantly, girls gain confidence and the chance to become leaders that their communities need,” she said.

“We opened Maiya School in the refugee camp to provide these opportunities to Rohingya girls and want to thank our students and their families for embracing Maiya School and making it a place of learning, love and empowerment,” co-founder Dayna Santana added.

Since opening in 2022, 140 Rohingya girls have been educated at Maiya School – the first school for adolescent girls in the whole camp. Their daily classes included Burmese, English, mathematics, science, life skills, art, and more. Along with providing a safe place for our students to get an education, it also provided a supportive environment for them to be social and make lasting friendships.  

Maiya School has also contributed to the Bangladeshi host community by empowering women through livelihoods skills training and support. Partnering with local women’s associations, this project empowered 112 women to grow and sell their own vegetables, learn sewing skills, along with financial management and leadership skills, allowing them to financially support their families. 

Maiya School relied on project grants and the support of generous donors to operate. However, a lack of funding over the past year has made it no longer financially viable to continue to operate. 

The Maiya School Board would like to thank all supporters, donors, and partners for their ongoing support over the last four years which has been integral to the school’s success in providing a brighter future for Rohingya girls. 

Our special thanks go to our students and their families, our teachers and staff who have been the heart and soul of Maiya School.

“If we could continue to operate Maiya School on love and enthusiasm alone, then we would be welcoming students into our classrooms for years to come,” Pip said. “However, our financial situation means that is just not possible.”

“We are extremely proud of the very real change we have generated for our students and the host community in Cox’s Bazar, and whilst we will close at the end of the 2026 school year, we have laid strong foundations should other organisations be financially positioned to return students to our classrooms in the future,” Dayna added.

For more information, please contact Pip: philippa@maiyaschool.org