Distance-learning University “Kiron” for refugees
by Mohammed Kheer Hazeem
Many refugees in Germany have great difficulties if they want to study at a university. They often have to wait for a long time for a spot at the university, but also the bureaucracy is causing great difficulties. But the biggest hurdle is learning the German language.
In order to overcome these obstacles, in 2015 the „Kiron“ (Kiron Open Higher Education for Refugees) was founded. It is only for refugees who want to study, and the number of study places is not limited. In order to avoid long waiting times and the acquisition of German language skills, recognition of documents does not play a major role in this case.
For the first two years, all sessions will be online and in English, and additional courses will be offered to improve English proficiency. Currently there are the following subjects: Economics, Engineering, Computer Science, Architecture and Intercultural Studies. Then you have the opportunity to study at a university, offline so to say.
For this, the online courses are adapted to the normal courses offered at the university. Currently “Kiron” works together with 15 partner universities in Europe. In Germany these are the RWTH Aachen, the Heilbronn University of Applied Sciences and the Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development. The professors and lecturers are from many prestigious universities such as Berlin, Harvard or Stanford.
The online study is free, for the subsequent offline training there may be costs for application, enrollment and tuition fees incurred by the universities. Further information can be found at www.kiron.ngo
