Open HE for refugees

Nieuws | de redactie
23 februari 2016 | edX joins forces with an open education start-up in Berlin to enable access to free higher education for refugees. “Our joint efforts will help improve the lives of thousands of newly arrived Syrian and other refugees in Europe.”

The online alliance of open HE published a statement that they are “proud to announce a new partnership with Kiron, a Berlin-based open education start-up with a mission to enable access to free higher education for refugees. Our joint efforts will help improve the lives of thousands of newly arrived Syrian and other refugees in Europe, and around the world, by offering a pathway to earning free college credit and degrees. Our collaboration, which will begin in April 2016, will provide much needed online learning opportunities for thousands of current and new refugees.”

Many more in HE to join

“Kiron serves students who seek better lives after escaping Syria and other war-torn countries. Kiron will integrate 300 edX courses into its learning platform. EdX will issue free verified certificates for Kiron students who have successfully completed these courses, and those certificates will translate to college credit with Kiron’s university campus partners. The full slate of offerings will include introductory as well as university-level specialty courses.”

This is meant to work in this way: after completing an initial slate of online courses (approximately 2-3 years) participating refugees will be given a chance to complete their studies on Kiron partner college campuses. Participating universities include RWTH Aachen University and other European universities. “Many more edX university partners, including leading U.S. institutions, are expected to join the effort in the coming months.”

“As our collaboration grows and serves more refugees around the world, edX will work with our partner institutions, including founding institutions Harvard and MIT, to expand offerings that are of particular relevance to the thousands of refugees who seek a path to a quality higher education.”

edX mentions, that is sees this as its mission, because it strives “to bring the world’s best courses to anyone with a desire to learn – especially those who might not otherwise have the opportunity. Together, with Kiron, we’re able to directly offer life-changing learning opportunities for those most in need.”


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