UNESCO and Republic of Korea donate 166 laptops to ensure equitable continuity of learning for Jordanian and Syrian students

As the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc on the education sector, many children and youth from less advantaged backgrounds are struggling to continue learning as lessons go online. In order to minimize learning disruption and to ensure equitable continuity of learning, 166 Syrian refugees and vulnerable Jordanian youths enrolled in Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) training courses, within the framework of UNESCO’s ongoing project funded by the Government of the Republic of Korea, received laptops and internet subscriptions.

The project ‘Provision of TVET, On-the-Job Training and Entrepreneurship Education to Youth Affected by the Syria Crisis in Jordan’, implemented in partnership with Luminus Technical University College (LTUC), is enabling 92 Jordanians and 74 Syrians, including 92 female students, to study in three disciplines: Business, Creative Media Production, and Information Technology.

The internationally accredited TVET programmes, which combine practical learning with subject and theory content, allow students to complete an eight-month course in their respective fields of study, followed by a one-month on-the-job training to reinforce the knowledge and skills they acquired.

While visiting the students at LTUC Amman campus, UNESCO Representative to Jordan, Ms. Min Jeong Kim, stressed the importance of this donation to ensure the continuity of learning through blended approaches, combining face-to-face and e-learning. She stated that the remote learning approach also contributes to enhancing students’ digital skills, which are critical for the labour market. Ms. Kim also highlighted the importance of the partnership with the Government of Korea in contributing to improve the employability prospects of young men and women affected by the Syria crisis in Jordan. 

Ambassador Lee Jae-wan emphasized that the Korean government is keen on helping the continuity of education of Syrian refugees and vulnerable Jordanian students amid the prolonged COVID19 pandemic through supporting TVET training courses. He hoped that the laptops and Internet access will help in their effective learning to graduate with enhanced skills and abilities.

Students who benefited from the donation expressed their thanks and gratitude to UNESCO and the Government of Korea. They explained that the laptops did not just facilitate their current studies and enhanced their digital and research skills, but that they will also be crucial after they complete their courses and graduate, since they will use them to work as  freelancers or on their own business projects.

Ibrahim Janseez, Syrian student enrolled in the Business course, shared that receiving the laptop has helped him to study and solve assignments, and gives him the opportunity to be more creative in his efforts to start a new business after the training programme is over, which will support his family income, and contribute to the community as a whole. 

Hayat Al-Dos, Jordanian student in Information Technology, shared that “after receiving the laptop, I started to study for longer hours to get higher grades and search for job opportunities to support myself financially”.  

Phase IV of the UNESCO training programme supports the ongoing efforts of the Government of Jordan to integrate e-learning into education system and is fully aligned with national policies and strategies such as the National Youth Strategy (2019-2025), Jordan Vision 2025, Jordan Response Plan for the Syria Crisis (JRP) (2020-2022), and Jordan Human Resource Development Strategy (HRDS) (2016-2025). A total of 761 students (440 Syrians, 321 Jordanians) have benefitted from the project since its inception in 2016, with the majority finding employment opportunities.