Buy a diploma alternative for refugee students

I would like to petition the UK Department for Education to support the launch of a recent global education platform known as PEER.

As one who is working closely with refugees and their children, I would like to wholeheartedly support the launch of this platform called Platform for Education in Emergencies Response. Working together hand in hand with the IIE (Institute of International Education) in New York, PEER aims to connect refugee students with university scholarships, resources and other higher education opportunities that they deserve without having a need to buy a diploma just to further their studies.

A brainchild of the Catalyst Trust for Universal Education, PEER is fast gaining support from various parties. Former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown has been in discussion with the UN to better understand the emergency needs of 57 million refugee schoolchildren and youths who are on the verge of attending University without the intention to buy a diploma. The ongoing refugee crisis is something these children can do without, and if there is anything to alleviate their condition without exacerbating the situation, this global education platform would be it.

In Syria alone, as many as 150,000 youths who are on the brink of university life have had their progress disrupted by war and persecution. That's 150,000 young impressionable lives stuck without higher education. Without the need to buy a diploma, refugee students can expect to benefit from the platform dispensing university scholarships and placement, translation services, higher learning resources and support or counselling.

Therefore, I hope the UK Department for Education would consider backing this platform and to spread word about it helping refugee students. Thank you for lending me your ears.

Brook Arnold