In 1933, the recently installed Nazi regime began a purge across German universities, dismissing academics on racial and political grounds, and forcing them to seek refuge overseas.
This expulsion triggered a response from universities around the world, with organisations established to rescue refugee academics. The University of Edinburgh was among the first to pledge support, becoming a founding member of the UK-based Cara (Council for At-Risk Academics).
Over ninety years on, the University remains committed to supporting students and academics facing conflict, persecution, or discrimination around the world, through the development of programmes which bring scholars to Edinburgh to continue their education or research.
In recent years, this work has deepened. In 2016, the University signed a memorandum of understanding with Cara in support of their Fellowship Programme, and in 2017 became the first university in Scotland to be officially accredited as a University of Sanctuary.
More support became available in response to destabilising events around the world, including the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan, the war in Ukraine, and the conflict between Israel and Palestine.
A new approach
Education Beyond Borders was launched in January 2024. The new programme builds upon existing support, bringing it together with new initiatives under one banner to strengthen the University’s capacity to create a longer-term, holistic approach to support.
This includes a sector-leading package of support, with a new scholarship programme and expansion of its fellowship programme for at risk academics, whose previous recipients include scholars from Ukraine, Afghanistan, Syria, and Turkey.
The new Displaced Student Scholarship scheme welcomes its first cohort of 21 postgraduate students at the start of the 2024/25 academic year, with students from countries including Afghanistan, Syria, Ukraine, Eritrea, Turkey, Palestine, Sri Lanka, Sudan, and Yemen in Edinburgh to begin their studies.
As the semester begins, programme leaders are already exploring ways to expand its offering and how best to support the higher education crisis in areas of ongoing conflict, including Palestine and Sudan.
Above all, the scope of the new programme highlights the continued commitment to helping those in need, and the huge challenge of meeting those needs on an academic, financial, and personal level.
Unable to go home
Image credit Edinburgh Global.
One member of the Education Beyond Borders team who understands this need from a personal as well as professional perspective, is Nadin Akta.
As Education Beyond Borders Manager, Nadin oversees the development and implementation of the programme, collaborating with university colleagues and partners to support students academically, professionally, and personally.
Originally from Syria, Nadin has lived in Edinburgh since 2008, moving to Scotland with her husband as he pursued a PhD. Intending only to stay for a few years, in 2011 the outbreak of war in Syria delayed plans to move home indefinitely. With the conflict ongoing and the situation increasingly dangerous, the couple took the difficult decision not to return home, applying for asylum to remain in the UK instead:
“I remember when we first talked about applying for asylum, and thought about what it would really mean. I felt stressed, worried – at that point I wanted to go back to Syria, to our home, to our friends –
I didn’t plan to stay in the UK before that.”
As an asylum seeker with refugee status, Nadin had to rethink her future and consider new options. After she began working as an educational support assistant – a first step in understanding the educational system here and what opportunities might exist – Nadin was inspired to pursue a master’s degree in Intercultural Business Communication with TESOL at Edinburgh Napier University.
However, undertaking a master’s programme, coupled with the stress of separation from her family as the war in Syria continued, was incredibly challenging:
“I lost connection with my family for a long time when I was doing my masters. I remember people saying enjoy your university life, but it was difficult. One of my supervisors was helpful, he contacted me offering support. That made a big difference, it motivated me to do more.”
Nadin has extensive experience in fostering cultural understanding and integration, particularly between Scottish and Syrian communities. Since completing her masters, Nadin has worked within the University of Edinburgh for five years, first for the Alwaleed Centre for the Study for the Study of Islam, and now with Education Beyond Borders:
“When I started working at the University, I discovered that there are many support systems and resources available, which there is a significant need for, especially within this community. Through our work I want students to have clearer access these opportunities and more systematic support.”
Forced to leave
Kainat Riaz grew up in the Swat Valley, in northern Pakistan. In 2012, she was attacked by the Taliban alongside her friend, the education campaigner Malala Yousafzai, while travelling home from school.
Following her recovery, she left Pakistan for the UK, supported by her family’s wish for her to continue her education. Despite speaking little English, Kainat enrolled in Atlantic College in Wales, before moving to Edinburgh to complete her school studies and apply to university.
“It was very, very different, a big change for me. I was struggling academically because we were studying in English. But later, because of the support I got, I learned so much, and I must say that I was a completely different person when I when I left.
Her first visit to Edinburgh was to attend an event featuring Malala. Struck by the city, she applied to study, but instead of proceeding straight to undergraduate, she enrolled the University’s International Foundation Programme, which provides opportunities for international students whose first language is not English, to prepare for degree programmes at Edinburgh.
“Luckily I was able to enrol in the foundation programme, which meant I could study different subjects and improve my English, and it allowed me to explore what I actually wanted to do properly, and adjust to life in Edinburgh, before settling for definite on studying healthcare.”
Kainat was then accepted to study healthcare as her undergraduate degree at Edinburgh. In parallel to her studies, Kainat has become an advocate for women’s rights, co-founding the Beydaar Society, which supports girls’ rights to education in Pakistan:
“When you have seen terrible things, education is the first thing that can help. If programmes like this can give opportunity to people, especially in countries where they are really struggling, then that can help. If we have a few people working for the same purpose, we’ll see a positive change in the future.”
Growing up in a new home
Originally from South Sudan, Foni Joyce Vuni grew up in Kenya. Her parents fled to Nairobi in 1991, following the outbreak of civil war.
Although she did not experience displacement directly, Foni witnessed the transitions her family went through as they fled from Sudan to Kenya. These early experiences played a pivotal role in shaping her interest, and later career, in community work and refugee advocacy.
After completing her undergraduate degree in communications, Foni began working in refugee advocacy with communities, focusing on young people, education, and peace-building. However, as a former refugee working with displaced communities, she found how she was perceived challenging:
“It became about quantifying my expertise, changing the narrative from people viewing me as a ‘displaced person’ to someone who is asked, ‘what do you bring to the table, what is your expertise?’”
This motivated Foni to pursue further education, and she enrolled to study African Studies & International Development at Edinburgh as part of the Mastercard Foundation Scholar Programme. The Foundation, which has been working with the University since 2016, supports a network of scholars who are leading social transformation in their communities across Africa.
“The act of coming here and being part of the programme is almost like research in itself. So, when I’m working, I’m not doing it just from my own perspective, but from a place of knowledge – what is the struggle for people who are displaced when they get to the UK? How do they access things?”
Foni’s perspective has helped raise questions about the impact programmes might have on participants, and what additional support scholars might need:
“Something I can reflect on is that in programmes like this, some people are still living this reality, or they have families living that reality – in terms of the subject they are studying, or the circumstances they are studying in. So there has to be that extra lens on how approach this conversation.”
A new base to build from
Within Education Beyond Borders, the work is just beginning. For Nadin, the Displaced Student Scholarship presents new opportunities and a moment to offer more support and opportunity than was possible before:
“From my own experience, I just feel like this is the right direction to go. I am so pleased to be part of this development and to start to see that change in the experiences of our new students, through an understanding of the academic and personal support needed. It is exciting to see where it will take us.”
Education Beyond Borders continues to work closely with key partners to consider what more can be done to support displaced academics, students, and higher education systems impacted by war.
The University is working with the Emergency Committee of Universities in Gaza, in response to its call for increased international support for higher education and research and is involved in dialogue to establish what more the UK higher education sector can do to support Palestinian academics and students, and to rebuilding university infrastructure in Gaza.
The team are also discussion with Sudanese higher education institutions and key partners, including the UN Refugee Agency, to discuss what support could be offered to those in Sudan, who are currently facing the world’s largest displacement crisis.
