Universities’ ‘more sophisticated’ approach to refugees

Over the past year, many European universities have started up education programmes in response to the continent’s refugee crisis, as more students fleeing conflict in their countries have applied to study in European degree programmes and language courses, writes Patrick Costello for Al-Fanar.

“At the beginning, we saw a lot of ad hoc activities, where universities focused on helping with shelter or had an initiative aimed toward providing guidance to potential refugee students,” said Henriette Stöber, project officer at the European University Association in Brussels. “We’re now seeing more and more sophisticated approaches that go more in the direction of actual bridging courses or actually enrolling students.”

Out of the more than one million refugees who came to Europe last year, as many as 50,000 will pursue higher education in European universities, according to the German Academic Exchange Service, or DAAD.
Full report on the Al-Fanar Media site