Refugee students begin master’s degrees in Belgium through EU education project
Three refugee students are beginning a master’s degree at KU Leuven this academic year through the EU Passworld project, the university announced on Tuesday. Six refugees from Syria and South Sudan have already completed degrees at KU Leuven, with three more starting their studies this week.
The initiative offers refugees a safe and official route to a third country to study. Ireland and Italy are also participating in the project, which is funded by the European Fund for Asylum, Migration and Integration.
Students are chosen by a selection interview and supported by volunteers when they arrive in Belgium. Mohammed Hussain was selected for the programme last year and completed his master’s in social sciences at KU Leuven. He will pursue a further degree this year.
"Education can be the path to a dignified life and self-reliance for refugees"
“Over the past year, I have made numerous friends in Leuven who have helped me start a new chapter in my life,” he said. “This master’s degree opens doors to a future I could not even have imagined before.”
In Belgium, the project is run by the UN refugee agency UNHCR, Caritas International, Fedasil and KU Leuven. Three other Belgian universities have now agreed to participate: UCLouvain, UNamur and ULiège.
The initiative falls under the UNHCR’s 15by30 strategy, which aims to have 15 per cent of refugees enrolled in higher education by 2030.
“Education can be the path to a dignified life and self-reliance for refugees,” said Melissa Martino of UNHCR Belgium. “We are very happy that Belgian universities are joining the many universities in Europe that not only open their doors to refugee students, but also contribute to increasing the number of safe routes to Europe.”
#FlandersNewsService | The central library at KU Leuven © PHOTO KU LEUVEN / ROB STEVENS
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