On May 29, 2023, a Tertiary Level Refugee Students meeting was held at the BUITEMS training hall. The attendees included Afghan refugee graduate DAFI scholars, tertiary level refugee students, a representative from BUITEMS, Alhamd Islamic University, and the University of Balochistan. Mr. Hafeez Ullah, Communication Assistant at ICRMS, delivered a presentation on the meeting’s agenda.
The students were divided into four groups to discuss various questions related to their experiences in tertiary education. Mr. Waheed, the representative from the Refugee Facilitation Center at the University of Balochistan, expressed gratitude to ICRMS for arranging the interactive talk and highlighted the importance of this meeting in bridging the gap between the universities in Balochistan. He emphasized that it is an opportunity to address the challenges faced by Afghan refugee students and provide policy recommendations to UNHCR and the Government of Pakistan. Mr. Tahir Malik, Assistant Registrar at Alhamd Islamic University, expressed collaboration on behalf of their institutions and looked forward to developing a workable plan for future meetings.
Dr. Rahila Umer, Director of ICRMS and Associate Professor at BUITEMS, stressed the need for students to stay focused, share success stories and best practices, and provide ideas and suggestions to improve their own and others’ careers, education, and professional lives. She encouraged Afghan refugee students to become part for Inspire Pakistan in their communities and guide others to avoid future difficulties. The students expressed their willingness to participate and volunteer in ICRMS’ career counseling sessions to guide refugee students in their educational journeys. There were total 31 participants among which 16 were Afghan refugee students/graduates including 9 females.
