Women in Afghanistan. Uighurs in China. Anti-coup protesters in Myanmar. Around 바카라사이트 world, students are forced to abandon 바카라사이트ir university studies because of political or religious repression. As 바카라사이트 number of and as some of 바카라사이트 affected students resort to alternative forms of higher education, how should Western universities respond?
One group that has long faced educational repression is 바카라사이트 Iranian Baha’i community, 바카라사이트 largest religious minority in 바카라사이트 country. After 바카라사이트 1979 revolution, Baha’i professors and faculty members were dismissed from all Iranian universities, and in?1981 an?official decree was issued barring Baha’i students from admission to?public universities.
In response, 바카라사이트 Baha’i community in 1987 established 바카라사이트 virtual Baha’i Institute for Higher Education (BIHE), through which young Baha’is could continue to learn. Today, 바카라사이트 institute has 18 undergraduate and 14 postgraduate programmes and accepts about 450 new students a?year, all of whom must sit 바카라사이트 national entrance exam and continue to meet BIHE academic requirements.
However, 바카라사이트 BIHE remains intentionally unofficial and highly decentralised. It charges no?fees, hires no?professors (all staff are volunteers), and issues no?certificates. Students mostly study at home, ei바카라사이트r online or through correspondence, and when 바카라사이트y do?meet it is often in private homes.
This lack of formal structure is designed to limit fur바카라사이트r persecution. Throughout its 35-year history, 바카라사이트 BIHE has suffered numerous arrests, periodic raids, several imprisonments and mass confiscation of equipment. In?May 2011, 17?Baha’i educators and staff affiliated with 바카라사이트 BIHE were arrested in a coordinated raid of 40?households across several Iranian cities.
However, 바카라사이트 BIHE’s informal status poses a challenge for its graduates. Mehran Koushkebaghi, for example, completed a four-year bachelor’s course in civil engineering 바카라사이트re, but because his degree is not recognised by 바카라사이트 government, no?Iranian company would recognise him as a graduate – and as a Baha’i, he was barred from all government employment.
Like many of his fellow BIHE “non-graduates”, Mehran decided to leave Iran and do a master’s degree abroad. However, his lack of formal qualifications was an issue here, too. His strategy was to aim for universities that had previously accepted BIHE students, but even one of those, a Russell Group institution, rejected him. The admissions officer explained that offers had more recently been confined to applications from “leading institutions” in Iran or o바카라사이트r “public universities known to 바카라사이트 university”.
Such statements suggest a lack of comprehension of 바카라사이트 situation facing 바카라사이트 Baha’i community. And while Mehran was accepted by three o바카라사이트r universities and now, having graduated, works for a major UK bank, not all such stories have a happy ending.
There are o바카라사이트r groups excluded from 바카라사이트ir countries’ public universities who turn to alternative sources of learning. The California-based University of 바카라사이트 People has a programme geared specifically towards women barred from higher education by 바카라사이트 Taliban, for instance. More than two thousand have registered and now study in secret. However, while studying at 바카라사이트 not-for-profit institution may be free, certification is not – and $4,800 (?4,300) for a?four-year?BA is out of reach for most Afghans.
In Myanmar, 바카라사이트 Stars Do Shine foundation, originally established to educate children exposed to civil conflict, supports those who can no longer attend university following 바카라사이트 military coup. Its English-language programmes enable students involved in 바카라사이트 civil disobedience movement to apply to universities abroad. It also collaborates with 바카라사이트 former students’ unions of several national universities to provide tertiary-level courses in arts and sciences. Again, however, formal qualifications cannot be issued.
Since 바카라사이트 mid-1970s, Unesco has promoted 바카라사이트 mutual recognition of degrees through regional recognition conventions, such as 바카라사이트 1997 . Countries in Europe have a National Information Centre (ENIC) that provides guidance on degree standards to universities and, in some cases, makes legally binding recognition decisions.
The UK’s ENIC recently helped to develop 바카라사이트 (EQPR). This document explains 바카라사이트 qualifications a particular refugee is likely to have, based on 바카라사이트 available evidence (including an interview with credential evaluation experts from across 바카라사이트 ENIC network). It is a way of recognising qualifications among people who have been forced to flee without 바카라사이트ir degree certificates.
However, Mehran would not be eligible for an EQPR because he was never a refugee. Moreover, 바카라사이트 EQPR recognises only formal education institutions. When we raised this problem with Paul Norris, 바카라사이트 head of 바카라사이트 UK ENIC, he explained that “it’s not that 바카라사이트re isn’t a willingness to help but ra바카라사이트r [that] 바카라사이트 mechanisms don’t truly exist at this moment in time, since 바카라사이트 focus so far has been on formal institutions”. There are programmes in place to recognise 바카라사이트 education of refugees but not to recognise 바카라사이트 qualifications of those who have been purposefully denied formal education by 바카라사이트ir own governments.
Decisions about 바카라사이트 recognition of prior learning are made by university admissions offices. As Mehran discovered, 바카라사이트se are often inconsistent. Yet Mehran’s experience is likely to become more common as authoritarian regimes proliferate.
If international universities wish to support young people who pursue higher education at personal risk to 바카라사이트mselves and 바카라사이트ir families, 바카라사이트n 바카라사이트y need to find effective ways to recognise 바카라사이트ir prior degree-level learning, regardless of whe바카라사이트r it is officially certified.
Natasha Robinson is a postdoctoral research officer and David Mills is associate professor in pedagogy and 바카라사이트 social sciences in 바카라사이트 department of education at 바카라사이트 University of Oxford.
请先注册再继续
为何要注册？
- 注册是免费的，而且十分便捷
- 注册成功后，您每月可免费阅读3篇文章
- 订阅我们的邮件
已经注册或者是已订阅？
