Since the war began in Syrian in 2011, many Syrians have lost their education in various different ways. For many Syrians who had finished their studies and graduated from Syrian Universities, with their graduate certificates they had fled to surrounding countries where they were unable to access higher education and unable to work to gain experience in their field. For other Syrians they had graduated, or were in the process of completing their university degrees but they do not have the certificate to prove their level of education.
Many have big gaps and interruptions in their educational journey. After they fled to other countries, they were unable to continue their education; differences in educational systems, the prevention of many Syrians from joining mainstream schools and the financial strain of fleeing left many unable to afford private schools. Because of this many Syrians have been deprived of completing their education.
Syrians who arrived in the UK are in the same boat. They are faced with similar challenges such as language, gaps in their education and knowledge and the fact that many of their Syrian certificates and qualifications are not recognized by the UK systems.
Educational Projects and Initiatives
University Open Days
Syrian Futures works with colleagues and students in Widening Participation, Student Recruitment and Admissions and Student Action for Refugees to deliver special Open Days for prospective Syrian students who are interested to know more about Higher Education in Scotland and the process of applying for college and university places.
Sessions are delivered in both English and Arabic, with attendees offered time and space to ask questions, seek clarifications and engage with both students and staff.
Student ambassadors provide insights into life as a student, including the many opportunies available to students via student societies and initiatives.
Syiran Futures Open Days end with a tour of the University of Edinburgh campus, and the opportunity to sign up for the University's formal Open Day with the option of having an Arabic-speaking student guide with them to help translate and offer important insights.
Widening Participation
Syrian Futures works closely with the University of Edinburgh's Widening Participation team to ensure that their many outreach projects are accessible to Syrian communities. Widening Particpation (WP) aims to address the discrepancies in the take-up of higher education opportunities between different social groups and Syrian Futures has been instrumental in connecting WP to local refugee communities. WP projects include the Sutton Trust Summer School, Lothians Equal Access Programme for Schools, and YourEd.
Befriending Scheme
The Syrian Futures Befriending Scheme launched in 2019 as a response to the need for greater English language/social support for the Syrian community in Edinburgh. It is a voluntary programme organised by the Syrian Futures project, in collaboration with Student Action for Refugees and Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies, pairing Arabic students at the university with local Syrians of all ages. The scheme helps Syrian refugees to adjust to their new home by improving their language, social skills and self-esteem through building healthy and lasting friendships. The scheme also provides students of Arabic at the University of Edinburgh with a unique opportunity to practice their conversational Arabic and learn more about Arab life and culture.
International English Language Testing System (IELTS)
Our IELTS project aims to provide essential preparation for Syrian students planning to take the IELTS test. The test measures the language proficiency of people who want to study or work where English is used as a language of communication. It uses a nine-band scale to clearly identify levels of proficiency, from non-user (band score 1) through to expert (band score 9). Most universities demand a certain IELTS score for non-native speakers of English and this can often be a major barrier for Syrian refugees looking to enter UK higher education.
Syrian Futures offers tutoring and support for Syrian students who need to sit their IELTS test in order to apply for university. Due to the recent COVID 19 lockdown, the project moved online with live lessons via the Zoom platform led by professional IELTS examiners and teachers.
We deliver two different classes: the IELTS Test Preparation Course and the Pre-IELTS Preparation Course. At Syrian Futures, we are aiming to extend and expand our efforts to cover more Syrian students within the UK and outside the UK in the near future.
Free English Classes
Alongside our IELTS classes, Syrian Futures also offers regular spoken and written English classes led by our extraordinary volunteer Colin Hodgetts MBE. Colin delivers fur free classes a week 1 beginner, 2 intermediate and 1 advanced.
Colin has a long history of supporting refugees in Edinburgh. He was responsible for Save the Children's Vietnamese resettlement programme which included setting up a residential school to enable youngsters to access higher education. He founded, and was Chief Executive of, and later Chair of, Refugee Action, for which he was awarded the MBE.
Universities of Sanctuary
Syrian Futures works closely with the Universities of Sanctuary network to help support UK universities in their applications to become universities of sanctuary. Universities of Sanctuary works to inspire and support universities to develop a culture and a practice of welcome within their own institutions, in their wider communities, and across the Higher Education sector in the UK.
Improving Access to Information for Refugees and Asylum University Applicants
From July 2020, Syrian Futures and Edinburgh Global will be partnering on a 6-month project creating an online platform for refugee and asylum seekers who are looking to join a UK university as either students or staff. The project aims to bring together, one one accessible platform, all available resources and information relevant to anyone from a refugee or asylum-seeker background.