Early wednesday morning; Café Athen hosted the return of Lundagård’s debating breakfasts: This time focusing on the conflicting role of academia in Syria.
The war in Syria has now been ongoing in current affairs issues for the last two years, yet on the aspect of the residual academia in Syria. Institutions which have by now endured years of conflict with over 100,000 lives lost.
We probably all house some knowledge on the situation in Syria and the ongoing war, yet one thing which hasn’t been covered is the role of students. And from that: What can Lund University in turn do to support and impact the predicament of education?
Kholoud Mansour; a visiting scholar in Middle Eastern studies from Syria states that the educational status in Syria is deteriorating.
“Yet it’s a much more complex question than we think, the problem comes down to the individual level from there it depends on regional, religious and socio-economic variables.”
Quais Faris; who in 2012 was forced to flee Syria for Lebanon and is now studying a masters in Human Ecology in Lund. He is most humbled for being granted a place here, yet he punctuates that a lot is yet to be done.
“I travelled from a country controlled by a mafia and came to a country which upholds human rights, yet over 3000 schools have been destroyed and today 60 percent of Syria’s student populace are unable to continue their studies.” Quais states.
Syria is a paradox, the fact that outwardly it portrays a sense of a western educated elite whilst internally little is now being done in stemming the downward spiral of war and stagnation.
“Why do some universities claim to be open, when they are only open for political reasons?”, questions Henry Diab, the co-ordinator for Middle Eastern studies in Lund.
Yet the question is once again a political one, the geo-political situation in the Middle East sees the constant movement of hundreds of thousands of individuals. These large numbers prove to be financial and logistical burdens upon neighbouring systems such as Jordan, whose infrastructure is already being overburdened.
“Coordination between universities, migration boards and nations is needed, everyone should be treated on an individual basis, just because we are Syrian doesn’t mean that we are out to kill each other or are uneducated.” Kholoud Mansour points out.
Lund should push harder for getting scholarships out to Syrian students, there are thousands of them deserving of such a place.
“I was one of three students who were granted scholarships in Sweden something which moved me greatly, the fact that I was able to continue my studies.” Said Mohamad – Nesrini from Aleppo university, whose story shows what can be possible if we act.
Should Lund lead the way in using its academic influence to offer scholarships to students in Syria? For it would go a long way in legitimising the notion that academia can be used as a force of good in a time of war.
