CAWU Learning Centre: for the right to learn and live

 

Tens of thousands of non-Arabic-speaking refugees in Egypt are living in poverty. We believe in the importance of education as a basic human right that protects refugee children from falling behind. With the right support, these individuals can become leaders in their own community. The CAWU Learning Centre aims to provide refugees with low cost, high quality secondary education that is recognised internationally. By offering a broad curriculum with a global perspective, we enable our students to be independent, contributing citizens.

 

The Centre for Arab-West Understanding (CAWU) is registered as an NGO since 2007 in Egypt and is fostering dialogue among students from many different countries, cultural backgrounds and beliefs. In 2018, CAWU discovered a smart 18-year-old Liberian student who could not obtain an education at a regular refugee school in Cairo because she had never had the opportunity to attend school before this. CAWU found out that refugees from non-Arabic speaking countries in Egypt only have access to a refugee learning centre that follows the Sudanese curriculum, but this curriculum is not recognised outside of Sudan and South Sudan. This resulted in the creation of the CAWU-Learning Centre which today has 30 students from Eritrea, Ethiopia, Liberia, Burundi, Congo and Central Africa, with ages ranging between 10 and 24 years old. CAWU is also registered as an UN Partner. Currently, the CAWU Learning Centre offers a broad range of subjects, all taught in English by our diverse team of teachers. These subjects are English, Mathematics, Science, History, Geography, Music and ICT. We are also preparing to teach Arabic as a subject next year. 

 

The CAWU Learning Centre follows the American core curriculum so that students can take the GED and be admitted into a range of universities abroad, enhancing their job and future life prospects. 

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Progress and future ambitions

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We are pleased to let you know that in the next academic year we are planning to build on the progress we have already made as a learning centre for displaced students.

 

• In our drive to secure outstanding educational opportunities we are in close negociation with the American University Cairo to secure appropriate teaching and learning facilities in their original site in Central Cairo. They are keen to forge strong and lasting links with us. This move will replace the current overcrowded and unsuited "Villa" provision for only 35 students. We anticipate that over three years our numbers will grow in response to demand to provide good facilities for in excess of 250 students of Secondary age.

• The move will also and importantly enable us to apply for recognition as a fully functioning School which meets Government requirements and provides a broad and balanced education to International Standards. We are involved with the National Government to secure this status.

• Following on from these initiatives we are working with the Cambridge Assessment Group to become part of their Curriculum and Examination Organisation. This will give us good access to The English National Curriculum and provide qualifications which are recognised worldwide.

• The resent introduction of the internationally recognised and respected GL assessment process has confirmed the potential of our students. It will enable us to have much higher expectations of their innate abilities and enable us to have far greater expectations than previously of what they can achieve..

• As part of this step forward we will be entering a group of our most capable students to sit the IGCSE O level examination in Mathematics next Summer. This will be the first time students from our backgrounds have had such an important opportunity.

• The Centre is also taking steps to strengthen the quality of its teaching and how it functions . A new Principal has been appointed to lead the new school into the future. He brings with him exceptional experience and successful involvement in School Leadership and School Improvement internationally.

• The recent initial Summer School has proved successful in providing teachers and students with a much broader and exciting curriculum, which will continue to grow in the years to come. Links with major international industries are growing and strengthening our links with the World of Work.

 

These are exciting times as we move forward to provide our students with an education fit for the 21st Century and a life of academic and personal success.  

 

Do you want to read more?

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• Click here to read about the refugee we serve and the background information of refugees in Egypt

• Click here to read our Children's and Student Protection Policy

• Click here to read our Ethics Policy 

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Read more about our activities: 

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