On the European and global policy stage, education pathways for refugees have increasingly gained traction. Under the Recommendation on legal pathways to protection in the EU, the European Commission has committed to promote access and further expansion of higher education programmes for refugees, with support from EU funds. The Global Task Force on Third Country Education Pathways launched in May 2020, has also developed minimum standards for third country education opportunities.
In Europe, several pathways for refugee students with differing structures have developed in recent years. Programmes like the German DAAD Leadership for Syria and Africa and the Italian University Corridors (UNICORE), offer refugees the opportunity to access student pathways through visas and scholarships, within a partnership between the national government, tertiary education institutions and civil society organisations. A second approach admits refugees under resettlement-based refugee sponsorship schemes. Refugees admitted receive refugee status, student scholarships and integration support offered by local volunteer support networks. The most known example of such resettlement-based sponsorship programme is the Student Refugee Program (SRP) in Canada managed by WUSC.
The Universities as Sponsors Conference taking place in Bologna on March 10 and 11, and organised by Caritas Italy and the Share Network in the framework of the Share QSN project, will gather universities and other higher education institutes, students, international and civil society organisations, and government representatives engaged in complementary education pathways to exchange and share best practices on different aspects of the existing programmes including identification and referral, selection , admission, funding, integration support and protection safeguards. Bologna University, being one of the oldest universities in the world with a long-time commitment to human rights, international cooperation, and refugee protection is an ideal setting for the conference. It was one of the first of 24 universities in Italy to partner with civil society and the government to provide scholarships and welcome refugee students to Italy through the UNICORE programme.
The conference will build on the virtual roundtable held by the Caritas Italiana and the Share Network in June 2021. It will also offer an opportunity for participants to discuss and reflect on a proposed joint statement (manifesto) and to discuss future networking, advocacy and funding strategies that will build on the momentum to expand higher education pathways for refugees in Europe.
