Students taking part in the program.

Burmese students achieve impressive results

ACU Refugee Program coordinator, Duncan MacLaren, recently returned from a trip to the Thai-Burma border, where he visited the students participating in the program.

Twenty-one students are currently completing a Diploma in Liberal Studies through the program, which was established by ACU in partnership with four Jesuit universities in the United States.

All participating students have now passed two of the eight units, with some achieving high distinctions. Mr MacLaren said this achievement was extraordinary considering the circumstances of the students, who fled Burma to live in refugee camps on the Thai-Burma border.

“They come from camps where there are no permanent structures allowed, let alone secure internet access,” said Mr MacLaren. “They speak English as a third language, have no access to proper libraries and live in a precarious situation.”

The Refugee Program recently received a grant for research from the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, which will investigate how previous students of the program have used their qualifications to further their refugee communities on the border and abroad.