A Council of Europe project allows refugees in Greece to obtain "passports" for their educational qualifications in order to facilitate entry to university programs in Europe as well as improve their access to the labor market.
The Council of Europe has created a new system in Greece with the "European Qualifications Passport for Refugees" to allow refugees to have their previous studies recognized in order to continue their educational careers and build a new life in Europe.
Click here for more information: First European Qualifications Passport for Refugees issued in Greece - NOKUT
The document certifies refugees' academic credentials based on available documentation as well as a structured interview. The aim is to help refugees with integration, entering the labor market and admission to further education programmes.
An expanding project
The project was launched last March as part of the Council of Europe's "Recognition of Qualifications Held by Refugees" initiative together with the Greek Education Ministry, educational qualifications recognition centres in Greece, Italy, Norway, and the UK, and the support of the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, in Greece.
The passport gathers all information regarding a refugee's studies, work experience and language levels. In order to receive the document, candidates must complete a questionnaire that is evaluated, followed by an interview. Officials then decide whether to grant the passport, which is valid for five years from the date of issue.
In the first evaluation session, which took place last March in Athens, 14 refugees received a passport. In the second session in Athens, which took place in June, another 40 passports were issued. A third evaluation session is planned in September. The project is slated for testing by the end of 2017 in France and Armenia and the Council of Europe is evaluating whether to expand the project to other countries starting in 2018, in the second phase of the initiative.
Education for a better future
The qualifications passport is still relatively unknown and doesn't guarantee a job or a place at university, but it's a certification that is useful for demonstrating academic history and abilities when other documentation is unavailable. "I couldn't continue my studies in Afghanistan because I had to make a living for my family, but now I want to go to university," said Masoud Burhani in an article on the website News Deeply.
Burhani is an Afghan refugee in Greece and would like to continue his studies in civil engineering, which is why he applied for the document. "My priority is my education," he said. "You can always earn money. But first you have to study. No problem. I can start over again," he added.