Amman- 15 April 2019
On the 9th and 10th of April, 2019, the German Jordanian University (GJU) participated in the Higher Education and the Syria Crises, What’s Next? within the project the Higher and Further Education Opportunities and Perspectives for Syrians (HOPES) and funded by the European Union, Trust Fund (MADAD).
Representatives from ministries, embassies, higher education institutions and key stakeholders involved in tertiary education in the context of the Syria crisis from Egypt, the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey and Europe participated in the conference, in addition to students enrolled in the Syrian and Jordanian HOPES programs.
The President of GJU, Prof. Manar Fayyad welcomed the participants in the conference stating the situation of the Syrian Crises and its implications on the social-economical structure of the region.
She said,” GJU has realized the higher education gap of the Syrian refugees and participated in many initiatives that aim at addressing the Syrian refugees’ need for higher education.”
Prof. Fayyad stated that GJU had established the EDU- Syria program, funded by the EU and EU regional Trust Fund MADAD within the theme No Lost Generation. The program targets Syrian refugees in Jordan and disadvantaged Jordanian to pursue their higher education through a set of scholarships programs.
She mentioned the unique private and public partnership model to the program that includes Jordanian universities who provide different programs varying from Bachelor, Master and Vocational Training, in addition to the collaboration with reputable Jordanian trust funds and aid organizations.
Prof. Manar concluded by thanking all participants in their interest and involvement that are the source of hope and energy to continue the path with passion and perseverance.
In the first day of the conference, the discussion themes included Higher Education and the Syria Crises: a Closer look on the situation, Moving forward along the academic pathway, Blended learning and online solutions and Student talk show: What’s Next for me?
In the form of round tables, the topic of Higher education and refugees from Syria was discussed on the second day.
It is worthy to mention that students from Jordan and Syria participated in the sessions. In addition, the conference included a networking exhibit “Along the Path towards the Future” Innovative project under the grant scheme of HOPES.