UAE businessman unveils $27 million education fund

AMMAN — Emirati businessman Abdul Aziz Al Ghurair unveiled a $27 million fund designed to support students studying in Jordan, Lebanon and the UAE. 

The fund is a part of the Abdul Aziz Al Ghurair Refugee Education Fund. 

This fund will last for three years and benefit around 20,000 students. 

“The Arab world is undergoing great challenges, including educational challenges, he told reporters during a press conference that was held in Amman on Wednesday, adding that the Arab world was suffering from political instability because of the regional challenges it faced.  

Ghurair noted that the fund will focus on Jordan, Lebanon and the UAE, adding that Palestinian and Syrian refugees, and Jordanian children between the ages of 14 and 18, will also benefit from the fund. 

“These ages are a critical stage, so we decided to address this period to ensure that they can continue their studies,” he said.  

Al Ghurair said 30 per cent of the fund’s programmes will target Jordanians as well. 

The first stage of the initiative will include support for educational institutions and high-ranking organisations covering 6,500 students, including 6,000 Jordanian students enrolled in educational and vocational education, according to the organiser’s statement. 

The fund will also work with Luminus Education to provide vocational training for in-demand professions. 

This first round of grants to partner organisations in Jordan, Lebanon and the UAE will be announced prior to the start of 2019 school year, according to the fund’s official website.