UPEI welcomes first Syrian students under new scholarship program

Three Syrian students have fled their war-torn homeland for a chance to resume their studies in a country where they no longer need to fear being killed walking to class.

The students have arrived at UPEI and are the first to take advantage of 10 scholarships offered last September specifically for Syrian students. The scholarships include a year of free tuition and English-language training,

Majd and Nairouz Mayaleh, siblings from Damascus, are overjoyed at their chance at a new life.

Nairouz Mayaleh, 22, completed high school and studied computer engineering for three years before the war made it impossible to continue, leaving her feeling like her dreams for the future were disappearing.

After abandoning her studies for 18 months Mayaleh says, she was beginning to feel her life was ending. But she was surprised and happy when she found out she had been granted the scholarship, giving her a new sense of hope.

Her brother Majd, 21, plans to continue his mechanical engineering studies. He says he was afraid to travel to university in Damascus every day, worried about his own life and the safety of his family and friends.

"It's dangerous for everyone in Syria, even for older people," he said, adding electricity outages and the loss of running water made it impossible to study at home.

The warm welcome he received at UPEI was special, he says, "Very helpful, very nice people."

Their mother and youngest brother arrived a couple of weeks ago on a private sponsorship through a church, making the transition a bit easier.

The third student to arrive is Kameel Halloul, 29, an information technology graduate in Damascus who moved to neighbouring Lebanon in 2011. The move cost him everything he had, but he says he's happy and grateful for the fresh start the UPEI scholarship offers.

He has maintained contact with his parents back home in Syria and the friends he left behind in Lebanon.

Bassel Malke, who works with the International Relations Office at UPEI, is also from Syria and was among those welcoming the three new students.

He says Syrian students put their lives on the line every day to get an education.

"It's about taking the risk to go to the school — a lot of mortar shells, a lot of rockets." he said. "You open your door in the morning to go to the school, you don't know if you're going back to your house or not."

Malke said he knows many students in Syria who decided to stay in the country, where university tuition is free.

"I have a lot of friends stuck in that situation," he said. "For the men … if they are not studying they have to serve the army, If they are studying, they are OK, but you don't know."

Five more scholarships remain available, Malke said, adding he hopes the program will be extended to even more Syrian students.