EU offers post-secondary scholarships to 59 Syrian, Jordanian students

AMMAN — “The HOPES project truly carries the meaning of hope itself for us. It gives students a chance to seize the academic opportunities that they deserve,” said Hanan Alchahadat, the student representative of the Higher and Further Education Opportunities and Perspectives for Syrians (HOPES) project on Monday.

Alchahadat was one of the 59 students who were awarded EU-funded scholarships to pursue higher education in Jordanian universities, at a ceremony held at the University of Petra in Amman on Monday.

For the 44 Syrian master’s students provided with financial aid, these degrees represent an indispensable preparation for their contribution to the future reconstruction of Syria, an EU statement said.

A Syrian national herself, Alchahadat was forced to flee her country in 2012, without having the chance to complete her administration and finance studies at Damascus University.

Since she arrived in Jordan, she juggled three jobs working as a cashier, a dental assistant and an accounting assistant just to financially sustain herself and her family. “I would sometimes work over 11 hours per day,” she recalled.

After a year, Alchahadat found out about the HOPES project and enrolled in a two-year bachelor programme, from which she graduated with a score of 91.9 per cent. 

“I am now finishing my master’s in marketing at Petra University, which I had access to thanks to the HOPES scholarship,” the student representative said, noting that she is now working on her thesis while continuing to help other students benefit from the opportunities offered by HOPES.

Speaking at the event, Ibrahim Laafia, head of cooperation of the EU Delegation to Jordan, said: “These scholarships represent the will and commitment not only of the EU but also of the member states and funding members towards what we are convinced is one of the most important investments: the future of young generations.”

“Education has been so far a priority for the EU in Jordan, and, since the start of the conflict in Syria, education and higher education have remained a key sector of the EU assistance in the country and in the region in particular,” he continued.

For his part, Mohammed Anani, Vice-President of the University of Petra, underlined the importance of the close partnership between the EU and Jordanian uuniversities, expressing his appreciation for the support extended to the students.

The ceremony was organised by the HOPES consortium composed of the German Academic Exchange Service, the British Council, Campus France and Nuffic and the EU Regional Trust Fund in Response to the Syrian Crisis, the “Madad Fund”.

The Madad Fund, which finances the HOPES project and the scholarships at a value of 12 million Euros for the region, has already allocated 1,000 scholarships for Jordanians and Syrian refugees in the Kingdom, according to a EU statement.

The “Madad Fund” addresses socio-economic, educational, health and psycho-social needs of Syrian refugees, host communities and their administrations as well as internally displaced persons in Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey, according to its website.