The University of Stirling and the Stirling Student’s Union have agreed on a scheme to support two postgraduate students from Palestine and Syria in the next academic year.
The University has approved a fee waiver for both a Palestinian student and a Syrian refugee student to study a postgraduate course without having to pay tuition fees.
Despite this, extra costs such as travel, visa and living expenses will still have to be paid
The Student’s Union has been working alongside the Scottish Universities Supporting Palestinian Students (SUSPS) – a group which has received support from the Scottish Government – Scottish Trade Unions Congress (STUC) and the NUS Scotland, on fundraising efforts to cover travel, visa and living costs (including accommodation) at Stirling.
This campaign has received backing from notable figures including Dame Judi Dench and Noam Chomsky.
Chomsky himself emailed Union President Andrew Kinnell to give his support for the campaign, stating that “the SUSPS program is a way to begin to pay that debt and at the same time to help prepare a better future for the people of Palestine and the region.”
The fundraising campaign is aiming to raise £10 000 and is expected to continue over the coming months. An indiegogo fundraiser is expected to start in the next couple of weeks.
It is currently unclear who the Palestinian student will be, as there is an application process underway to select the best candidate.
Musician and political activist David Rovics is expected to host a fundraising gig at the university on the 25th of February in support of the campaign.
Andrew Kinnell has expressed his joy regarding the progress of the campaign, telling Brig “SUSPS has so far had a great support from some students and staff as well as notable backing from people such as Noam Chomsky and Dame Judi Dench.”
“We’ll be continuing and expanding on fundraising efforts in the coming weeks. If your interested in helping out or for more info please do get in touch.”
Less information is available at the moment regarding the Syrian student, other than that their fees will also be waived.
Stirling is to welcome 100 refugees from Syria in the following year, with a family having arrived over the Christmas period.
Stirling Council have commented: “We look forward to welcoming Syrian refugees to our community and know residents in the area will join us in making them feel at home here.”
Feature image credit: Study In Scotland
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