Arab Open University – Jordan Explores Collaboration with the Universities of Geneva and Oslo to Develop Educational Programs for Refugees in the Region
Amman – The Arab Open University – Jordan recently held a coordination meeting via video conference with the University of Geneva, the University of Oslo, and the Global University Academy. The purpose was to explore joint initiatives in “education in emergencies.”
Participants from AOU–Jordan included:
Dr. Tahreer Hamdi, University Director
Dr. Mufid Abu Mousa, Deputy Director for Academic Affairs
Prof. Moayed Al-Humaidi, Director of the Training and Community Service Center
Dr. Naima Al-Hasban, Faculty of Education
From the University of Oslo:
Prof. Svein Stølen, University President
Ms. Marianne Knarud, Project Director
From the University of Geneva:
Dr. Mariam Radwan, Program Coordinator
Mr. Thierry Agagliate, Executive Project Manager
During the meeting, the institutions reviewed each party's expertise and activities. They agreed in principle to launch a joint pilot program in Jordan under the Global University Academy (GUA) framework. The program will focus on developing educational courses tailored for refugees, with potential to expand to Palestine, Syria, and Lebanon, and eventually build a regional approach starting from Jordan to cover the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
Dr. Tahreer Hamdi emphasized that they will develop “education in emergencies” programs targeting refugees and humanitarian workers, adapted to meet the needs of the Arabic-speaking world.
Coordination of program development will be led by Dr. Mariam Radwan and Professor Åkari from the University of Geneva, in collaboration with a selected team of AOU and international experts.
They also agreed to draft a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the University of Geneva and AOU—detailing curriculum, teaching methods, and admission criteria—and to organize virtual working sessions in the coming days to finalize the program specifications.
