Yarmouk University President, Prof. Malek Al-Sharairi, took part in the preparatory event for the 2025 Global Refugee Forum, organized by the UNHCR Jordan.
The event brought together representatives from government entities, embassies, national institutions, international organizations, and experts in refugee and forced migration issues. It aimed to evaluate collective progress made since 2023 in fulfilling commitments related to refugee matters in Jordan and the region, strengthen partnerships among decision-makers, and promote innovative solutions in line with the Global Compact on Refugees.
During his participation in a session on establishing a Higher Education Alliance to empower universities as active players in refugee response efforts, Prof. Al-Sharairi expressed pride in Jordan’s longstanding humanitarian role under the Hashemite leadership in providing refuge and safety to those in need.
He explained that the Higher Education Alliance emerged from a strong partnership between UNHCR Jordan and Yarmouk University’s Refugees, Displaced Persons, and Forced Migration Studies Center, launching a joint project to increase the enrollment of refugee students in higher education in Jordan to 15% by 2030.
Yarmouk University and UNHCR also co-developed a joint policy paper presented to decision-makers to support this goal. The university’s Board of Trustees adopted its recommendations by approving a 30–40% reduction in tuition fees for refugee students, aligning their fees with those of the “parallel program” instead of the “international program.”
Additionally, Yarmouk integrated the refugee ID number into its student information system to improve access to reliable data on refugee enrollment.
In June 2024, UNHCR announced the official establishment of the Higher Education Alliance, which now includes 17 educational institutions committed to increasing refugee access to universities across Jordan. The alliance also encourages universities to share responsibility through scholarships and fee reductions, promoting sustainable local support for refugee education.
The event was attended by Vice President Dr. Ruba Al-Bataineh and Acting Director of the Refugees and Forced Migration Studies Center, Dr. Ibrahim Darwish.
