Nissan to lay off thousands of workers as sales drop    Trump picks Susan Wiles as White House chief of staff    Three charged in connection with Liam Payne's death    Israel passes law to deport relatives of attackers, including citizens    Monkey mayhem in South Carolina after 43 primates escape research facility    Russian anti-war teenager faces five years in jail after failed appeal    Uproar in Ghana after president unveils his own statue    BD and INS partner to elevate standards of infusion care in MENAT    Qassim emir launches 52 health projects costing a total of SR456 million    Dubai Design Week launches its 10th edition, celebrating creativity and innovation    Fakeeh Care Group reports 9M-2024 net profit of SR195.3 million, up 49% y-o-y driven by solid revenue growth and robust profitability    GASTAT: Passengers of public transport bus and train soar 176% and 33% respectively in 2023    HRT does not impact life expectancy — UK health body    Liam Payne's body to be flown back to the UK    Arab leaders and heads of state congratulate US President-elect Donald Trump    Neymar suffers muscle tear, out for 4-6 weeks    Suspect arrested for banking fraud totaling SR493 million as Nazaha pursues corruption charges    Al Nassr secures 5-1 victory over Al Ain to edge closer to knockout stage    Al Ahli extends perfect start with 5-1 victory over Al Shorta    Mitrovic's hat-trick leads Al Hilal to 3-0 victory over Esteghlal    India puts blockbuster Pakistani film on hold    The Vikings and the Islamic world    Filipino pilgrim's incredible evolution from an enemy of Islam to its staunch advocate    Muted Eid celebrations for millions of Nigerian Muslims    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



A university for Syrian refugees
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 05 - 06 - 2015


Menekse Tokyay

TURKEY and Qatar have agreed to jointly open an international university for Syrian refugees, to be located in Turkey's southeastern province of Gaziantep.
Fatma Sahin, mayor of Gaziantep and former minister for family affairs, told Anadolu Agency that both parties are conducting feasibility studies, and that the exact location of the university will be set soon.
The university will primarily educate Syrian refugees in the English and Arabic languages, and will teach a variety of subjects.
In Oct. 2014, Sheikha Mozah, the mother of Qatar's emir, visited a Syrian refugee camp in Gaziantep alongside Turkey's first lady Emine Erdogan. The visit was followed by the signing of a memorandum on joint education projects for refugees.
Some 2 million Syrians have fled to Turkey since 2011, of whom around 50,000 are of university age.
Scholarships
So far, 1,526 refugees have been given university scholarships, with plans to increase that number by a further 5,000 over five years.
The scholarship covers a monthly grant, as well as support for accommodation, social security, transport and university fees.
These students “hope to support Syria's reconstruction when they go back. For this to happen, they prefer studying in civil engineering, sociology or psychology,” Serdar Gundogan, head of the International Students Department, told Al Arabiya News.
Mahir Hamis, 21, fled to Turkey with his family in 2012. His family currently lives in a tent city in the southern province of Hatay bordering Syria. Hamis got a scholarship last year and moved to Ankara to study in Gazi University.
“Once I heard of the possibility of a scholarship in Turkey, a new page has been opened in my life,” he told Al Arabiya News.
Hamis studies in the visually impaired teaching department, and wants to use what he has learnt when he returns to Syria.
There are also cultural programs for Syrian and Turkish youths that include countrywide excursions, as well as artistic and sporting events.
Support
“In supporting Syrian refugees in attending university, Turkey is investing in the future because it prevents them from becoming a lost generation, and encourages them to contribute to their homeland's reconstruction once they return,” Metin Corabatir, former spokesman for the UN refugee agency UNHCR in Turkey, told Al Arabiya News.
“Syria would need engineers, doctors, teachers when the country is built from scratch after a years-long civil war. So educating them in English and Arabic, in line with internationally-accepted scientific standards, would be an asset,” added Corabatir, who heads the Center for Asylum and Migration in Ankara.
Syrian refugees are able to continue their education in Turkish universities with “special student” status, but it is unclear to what extent their graduation certificate will be accredited globally.
This has drawn much public and political criticism of being unfair to Turkish university students.
The Turkish-Qatari university will “attract Syrians and young people from neighboring countries willing to continue Arabic education, which will ensure its sustainability even after the end of the civil war in Syria,” said Corabatir.
Murat Erdogan, director of Hacettepe University's Migration and Politics Research Center (HUGO), said the project will also help Syrian scholars who have fled to Turkey.
“It would be beneficial for these academics to continue their professional career in Turkey, while alleviating the burden on Turkey in integrating them into society in financial and social terms,” Erdogan told Al Arabiya News.
“Each passing day wasted without opening new educational channels for them would bring bigger socio-economic costs in the future, both on Syria and the regional countries, because this social capital is waiting in vain.”
Erdogan said Turkey should come up with policies to provide young Syrian refugees with the necessary language skills.
“After they graduate from this university, they'd probably search for jobs in Turkey, so they need to have a sufficient level of Turkish to get a place within society and the job market.” — Al Arabiya News


Clic here to read the story from its source.