Refugee students in German universities experience vast differences compared to their home countries. Whether it is the curriculum, campus life or financial considerations, there is a lot they have to adjust to. InfoMigrants' Aasim Saleem spoke to students from three different regions to explore what the big differences really are.
The Justice and Peace organization in the Italian city of Fano is offering an online business course for immigrants in Italy. The course aims to promote integration by teaching basic knowledge about business administration and providing information for migrants about starting a company.
University of the People is set to offer free online education for Arabic-speaking refugees who lack access to higher education. The initiative, which will also be run mainly by refugees, hopes to help students to create a better future for themselves and their communities.
The German Rectors’ Conference (HRK) which represents German Universities in Germany published a poll in mid-March which suggested that more refugees than ever are finding out about, and signing up to, German universities. Raihana, a 30-year-old Afghan refugee in Germany, is one of them.
The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the University of Bologna have signed a memorandum of understanding to create "university corridors" between Ethiopia and Italy to give refugee students the chance to continue their studies in Italy.
Asylum seekers from Turkey have much higher levels of education than the average among migrants in Germany. More than 10,600 Turkish nationals applied for asylum in Germany in 2018 – nearly half of them said they already had university degrees.
The University of Bologna has started a project to give refugee students the possibility to continue their academic studies in Italy through humanitarian corridors from Ethiopia.
The University of Turin is offering refugees who lack proof of education the possibility to receive an 'academic passport' so that they can enrol at universities.
UK university student Joy Stacey is trying to bring more scholarship opportunities to migrants and refugee students around the world. Her Silat Network is almost off the ground but it still needs help.
Syrians made up the highest number of applications to have their qualifications recognized in Germany. Most foreign qualifications were for professions in the health field, such as nurses, doctors and physiotherapists.
Universities have an important role to play in improving refugees' living conditions and promoting integration, according to experts at a conference in Rome. But a UN representative at the meeting said just one percent of refugees worldwide have access to higher education.
Young Syrian refugees living in neighboring countries face an uncertain future. InfoMigrants spoke to two young men in northern Iraq who believe that hope lies in education.