Università telematica internazionale UNINETTUNO

The project "Education without Boundaries"

Italy, thanks to its geographical position, but not only for that, has been historically and keeps on being a veritable bridge to the Mediterranean Sea; a bridge that peoples, civilizations and cultures pass through. The dialogue made up by exchange, confrontation and interaction is a key element that could not be separable from whatever action aiming at bringing the two edges closer to each other; an open dialogue, where everybody is equal, where everybody can access education and knowledge, by not being denied due to his/her origin.

Acknowledging the sharpening of the immigration emergency that involves the Arab countries and the Sub-Saharan countries, as well as the whole Europe as to the reception of the migrants, the International Telematic University UNINETTUNO contrived an Internet-based portal, “Education Without Boundaries”, www.istruzionesenzaconfini.it. UNINETTUNO is the only University in the whole world where teaching and learning are carried on in five languages (Italian, French, English, Arab, Greek), in which thousands of students, coming from over 163 countries, are currently enrolled. “The technological network – UNINETTUNO’s Rector, Prof. Maria Amata Garito, states  – promoted the creation of a network of people, intelligences, able to connect and share their knowledge and that along with several lecturers coming from various universities of the Arab World (Syria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Tunisia, Morocco etc. ) developed a virtual area for higher education and the spreading of knowledge in the Euro-Mediterranean Area". Thanks to this international experience, UNINETTUNO made out of internationalization an active instrument for cooperation, and that allowed to plainly create the “University for Refugees - Education without Boundaries” www.istruzionesenzaconfini.it, in order to let refugees and immigrants access the University from anywhere across the world.

This tool makes it possible the recognition of educational qualifications, previously earned by refugees and migrants in their countries of origin, and the recognition of their professional competences in order to facilitate their access to our University's degree, master's and vocational training courses.

It is the first tool in the world, realized in English, French, Italian and Arabic, allowing  refugees and immigrants to access and continue their university education or enroll for vocational training and retraining courses; studying in the different languages of the hosting countries; spread language and Arab World culture courses among the citizens of the hosting countries; promote knowledge about the regulations and the laws that govern reciprocal rights and duties.

The “University for Refugees - Education without boundaries” www.istruzionesenzaconfini.it has already yielded its first results. 

His name is Harout, he is the first Syrian refugee in Lebanon who enrolled to the degree in Information Engineering, delivered by the International Telematic University UNINETTUNO thanks to one of the 50 scholarships, that are delivered for free by the University and devoted to refugee students entitled with international protection. Even in a moment of international fear, the purpose is that of boosting and sustaining the academic path of the immigrants holding the status of refugee, and of contributing to their vocational integration in the hosting country. The new technologies, in particular e- Learning, can help enhance the reception of the refugees; a reception that passes through a qualified training, aimed to develop vocational competencies by means of  a new distance teaching approach, where knowledge is spread by a new model of University, the University of the 21st Century, where every citizen of the World can study and learn without limits of space, time and place thanks to the Net.

Harout is thirty years old, was born in the town of Aleppo where he accomplished his Bachelor in Chemistry. At this point, he has got the status of political refugee in Lebanon, and hoping that peace would come back soon in his country, he can make his dream come true: achieving the study path he kicked-off in Syria by attaining an academic title recognized in Europe.

Besides Harout, 60% out of the students enrolled to the portal the “University for Refugees - Education Without Boundaries” are Syrian refugees in Germany; they, too, googled the tools to resume their interrupted academic path, and to make their study dream come true, despite their refugee status.

The “University for Refugees - Education Without Boundaries” is developing a great laboratory towards true integration, in order to value good immigration, dialogue, peaceful coexistence among peoples and international cooperation.

The International Telematic University UNINETTUNO has a long and consolidated experience in distance education, delivered also in collaboration with several universities of the Arab World including Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Syria, Tunisia and Turkey.
UNINETTUNO allows the recognition of the study paths of thousands of foreign students and makes them earn study titles recognized in Europe and in the Arab World.

So doing, UNINETTUNO offers foreign students the tools that enable them to acquire knowledge and expertise allowing them to play a constructive role in the social, cultural and economic life of the hosting Countries.

The Portal

In the "Education without Boundaries" portal, beside an information section on the Project, the student will be able to access the following services:

  • UNINETTUNO Educational Offer
  • Enrolment in the degree, master’s and vocational training courses;
  • Recognition of academic qualifications;
  • Recognition of professional skills;
  • Language learning courses;
    • I learn Italian - The Treasure of the Letters
    • I learn arabic - The Treasure of the Letters
    • OLS language courses for refugees: German, English, Spanish, French, Italian, Dutch, Portuguese, Bulgarian, Czech, Danish, Greek, Croatian, Hungarian, Polish, Rumanian, Slovakian, Finnish, Swedish.
  • Health Services;
  • Mutual Rights and Duties.

 

Educational Offer

The student who wishes to continue or start university studies can enroll for the following degrees and master's courses of the International Telematic University UNINETTUNO:

First-Cycle Degree

- Economics Faculty

- Law Faculty - Engineering Faculty - Cultural Heritage Faculty - Psychology Faculty - Communications Science Faculty

 

Second-Cycle Degree Courses

- Economics Faculty

- Engineering Faculty - Psychology Faculty

 

MASTER

 

Professional Training Courses
 

 

The Project "Education without Boundaries"

The portal "Education without Boundaries" aims to give answers to the main needs of refugees and immigrants, and to recognize their path of study carried out in their countries of origin.

In particular, the portal aims to:

  • facilitate refugees and immigrants in their integration into the educational institutions of the Euro-Mediterranean Area at different levels, with particular attention to the Universities and to the courses of professional qualification and requalification;
  • support immigrants and refugees in learning the languages of the host countries;
  • provide citizens of the host countries with the courses of language and culture of the Arab world;
  • familiarize immigrants and refugees with the concepts needed to access to health services, care and first aid;
  • promote knowledge of the rules and laws that regulate the mutual rights and duties.

Context

The recent summit in Malta of 12 November 2015 [1] shows the need for more information, to recover the dialogue with Africa and the countries of origin of immigrants. During the International Conference on Migration organized in October 2014 by the Arab League in Tunisia, it was clear that in the past years, the phenomenon of internal (from sub-Saharan Africa to North Africa) and external (to southern Europe) immigration has dramatically grown since 2010 with the collapse of the main regimes (Egypt, Tunisia and Libya) following the Arab Springs and the continuation of the civil wars that tear the Middle East.

During the same conference on the Arab League it was clear that in order to properly handle the flow of immigrants it is necessary to concentrate the efforts on the countries of origin. As stated by the representatives of the Arab World: "it is necessary to intervene at the roots of the immigration problem in the South border, while in the other border, the work must be focused on the reception and host of immigrants. Integration policies must be shared, with the support of new tools of knowledge, as well as adequate facilities and appropriate legislative measures". Access to knowledge and education is one of the major global challenges of the Arab League that is a key element to fight on both fronts of Immigration and the overwhelming advance of terrorism.

 

Mission

In order to recover the historical role of the Mediterranean as a bridge for the migration of people and civilizations, the key element of any action that seeks for the reconciliation between the two borders is the dialogue, intended as exchange, discussion and interaction. This dialogue must be open, all speakers must be equal and everyone can access to education and knowledge without any limitation deriving from being a foreign.

Given the growing of immigration involving the Arab world and Africa without distinction, the project "Education Without Boundaries" aims primarily to offer a valuable contribution to bridge the gap represented by the lack of information and lack of services in Italy and in Europe. This gap increases ignorance and prejudice, without finding solutions to those that are just the direct consequences of a social and economic crisis. To date in Italy the integration of refugees and immigrants is impeded by the lack or inadequacy of information, by the issue of the linguistic diversity and the bureaucracy that does not facilitate the recognition of their studies and their inclusion in the social community.

The extensive experience in distance education of the UNINETTUNO and its strong cooperation with several universities in the Arab world are put together with the expertise of UNITI PER UNIRE on integration and immigration issues. This collaboration is aimed at providing to foreign citizens with skills and tools related to competences and knowledges, enabling them to constructively participate in the social, cultural and economic life of the hosting countries.

Uniti per Unire, through AMSI, has allowed the recognition of study undertaken abroad of many professionals working in the Healthcare sector, who today are working in the major national healthcare facilities. UNINETTUNO, in its turn, has allowed the recognition of study to thousands of students, supporting them for the attainment of a degree recognised by some European countries and by the Arab world.

Continuing on this path, carrying forward the work the respectively have done for the last 20 years, UNINETTUNO and UNITI PER UNIRE band together and unite their expertise at the service of integration.

Objectives

The main objective of the “Education Without Boundaries” is the opening of information desks for refugees and immigrants, who want to access university, at the reception centres, at the universities that make a request, at the head office of UNINETTUNO and its technological poles located in Italy and abroad. These desks are already accessible on the information portal www.istruzionesenzaconfini.it, as well as you can access them from the official web sites of UNINETTUNO and UNITI per UNIRE. 

The objective of the "Education Without Boundaries" is to provide refugees and immigrants with the tools needed to integrate successfully in society, both through the recognition of their qualifications already obtained in their countries of origin and through the recognition of their professional skills in order to facilitate their access to educational institutions, schools and Universities of the host countries, and then to the global labour market.

Through "Education Without Boundaries" we want to develop a large scale laboratory for real integration aimed at enhancing the good immigration, dialogue, peaceful coexistence among peoples and international cooperation through Education, Knowledge and Healthcare.

There are two fundamental tools for achieving the goals of "Education Without Boundaries”: the International Network that will allow the project to extend throughout the Euro-Mediterranean Area, and the Web-based Portal istruzionesenzaconfini.it that will be an electronic desk for the access, information and training for migrants and refugees.

The Portal

The navigation menu of the portal “Education Without Boundaries”, in addition to the information sections about the project and partners that operationally implement it, provides access to the following areas:

  • The project
  • Recognition of academic qualifications;
  • Recognition of professional skills;
  • Language teaching;
    • I learn Italian - The Treasure of the Letters
    • I learn arabic - The Treasure of the Letters
  • Health Services;
  • Mutual Rights and Duties;
  • Communication Area.