Universities join hands with Syrian business people, philanthropists and UNHCR to remove barriers to higher education and job opportunities for refugees
©UNHCR/Sana Hamdan
Amman, 10 July, 2024 – An unusual alliance of philanthropists, higher education institutions, vocational training institutes, a Syrian business association in Jordan and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, signed an agreement on Wednesday that paves the way for refugees to contribute their full potential to economy and society. Each member of the recently founded “Higher Education Alliance in Jordan” pledges to remove obstacles for refugees to access universities, technical or vocational trainings or to further internship and other opportunities. The number of Universities in Jordan that make studies more accessible to refugees will triple from currently four to 11. Lowering of tuition fees for refugees to put them at par with Jordanians (“parallel programme”) by some universities – Yarmouk, Al-Balqa Applied University, Al-Bayt and Tafila – already allows refugees of all nationalities to study all subjects at a lower cost than other international students since 2023.
Now also other Universities and Technology institutes bring down the financial barriers for refugees to study. Al Hussein Technical, Hashemite, Zarqa and German Jordan Universities, but also Princess Sumaya University for Technology, Applied Sciences Private University and Luminus University College will be either offering hundreds of scholarships to refugee students as of September 2024 or provide a discount of up to 60 per cent, depending on the studies.
And the story does not end there – they plan to convince others of the 15by30 goal, i.e. of enrolling 15 per cent of refugee students in higher education by 2030, a goal to which all 17 members of the Alliance sign up.
One of them is the Syrian International Business Association (SIBA) which runs major companies in Jordan. Many of their businesspeople have fled to Jordan and restarted their businesses here. In the new agreement, SIBA commits to securing training and job opportunities for refugees during and after the studies.
UNHCR initiated and convened the Alliance as the protracted refugee situation in Jordan called for “a strategic approach to allow youth to realize their future aspiration”. The Agency supports access to higher education and qualifications for refugees and vulnerable members of host communities.
The new steps to remove obstacles for higher education are an outflow of a pledge by the Alliance made at the Global Refugee Forum in Geneva which UNHCR convened in past December.
ENDS
The Higher Education Alliance in Jordan is a network of 17 stakeholders established as an outcome of advocacy efforts to facilitate refugee access to tertiary and higher education. The Alliance wants to ensure that refugees and vulnerable Jordanians have access to higher education and technical and vocational development and training opportunities recognizing their value for economic development in line with the 2nd Growth Driver of the economic growth priorities of the Jordan Economic Modernization Vision. The Alliance also promotes innovation and progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals.
For more information:
Roland Schönbauer, +962 79 119 25 32, [email protected]
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