Seven asylum seekers and refugees will receive full scholarships enabling them to study at University College Cork, today (Thursday) designated University of Sanctuary status.
Set to be provided from September 2018, the scholarships will cover full fees and tuition, in addition to a number of annual bursaries covering travel and expenses.
UCC’s Sanctuary Status is a marker not just of what has been achieved in UCC, but an indicator of the need for sustained and creative work to support asylum seekers and refugees locally and internationally, according to UCC’s Senior Vice President, Professor Caroline Fennell.
“Universities provide a key space in which to challenge societal assumptions and to support and highlight work aimed at fostering a culture of welcome for asylum seekers and refugees.
“Through the range of initiatives cultivated over many years in UCC, we are dedicated to providing spaces to learn about what sanctuary means, to develop a sustainable culture of welcome and to share our practices and initiatives with communities and other higher education institutions,” he said.
Cultural and financial barriers to accessing third level education impact heavily on asylum seekers and refugees in Ireland. UCC has joined DCU and UL as universities leading the way in Ireland by being awarded University of Sanctuary status by Places of Sanctuary Ireland.
The University will launch its inaugural Refugee Week next month, with events from February 5 to 9 including a lecture by UNESCO Chair in Refugee Integration, Professor Alison Phipps, titled ‘What is Refuge? Who Decides, and How?’ on February 6.
A native of Ennis, Colin McGann has been editor of The Clare Champion since August 2020. Former editor of The Clare People, he is a journalism and communications graduate of Dublin Institute of Technology.