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US initiative to offer 1,000 free courses for refugees

Coursera logo (file photo)

A US-based program is offering online courses for refugees worldwide with the help of universities in the country and elsewhere.

Based on the program that was unveiled Monday, refugees around the globe will be able to take more than 1,000 online university courses for free on the occasion of World Refugee Day marked on June 20.

According to Coursera, a venture-backed for-profit educational technology company, the courses are offered by universities, including Harvard University in the United States and the University of Edinburgh in Scotland.

Covering various topics, the courses are said to range from $29 to $99.

A Syrian refugee sits with his children in a makeshift tent in a refugee camp in the town of Kab Elias in Lebanon. (AFP)

"Coursera for Refugees is designed to provide as many of them as possible with greater access to education in career relevant skills, as they navigate new homes and difficult times in their lives," said Rebecca Taber, Coursera's head of government partnerships, in a statement.

Other universities and non-profit organizations could apply for offering courses in the program, jointly run by the US State Department.

US embassies and consulates are also supposed to promote the initiative.

"Coursera for Refugees builds on our work to help people succeed in the global economy," said Evan Ryan, the assistant US secretary of state for educational and cultural affairs, in a statement.

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, 65.3 million people were displaced at the end of last year.

Many of the refugees are from Iraq and Syria, where Daesh Takfiri terrorists have been wreaking havoc.

A large number of academics, experts and political commentators blame the situation on the United States, whose policies, including the 2003 invasion of Iraq, has led to chaos in the region.


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