Extra monetary aid is set to be furnished for Palestinian scholars wishing to pursue their education at Queen’s University Belfast. The initiative was launched a few months subsequent to the announcement by Ian Greer, Queen’s Vice-Chancellor, regarding the expansion of the existing Copty Scholarship. Originally designed to assist a single student, the scholarship has increased its scope to aid four students under duress around the world.
However, several recipients of the scholarship identified a financial barrier in relocating to Northern Ireland to claim their opportunity. In response to this, the Queen’s Palestine Assembly petitioned the university to step in and facilitate the scholars’ travel. The collective highlighted the pecuniary strain borne by the students which included the UK student visa fees, the Immigration Health Surcharge, besides the commute expenses from Gaza.
The Copty Scholarship, funded by Georgina Copty and Christopher McDowell since 2020 offers to cover international tuition fees and lodging at Queen’s for the tenure of the programme. Nevertheless, the scholarships didn’t originally allocate funds towards the visa or travel expenses, preventing some scholars from availing their spaces.
Ibrahim Aldalis, a civil engineer hailing from Gaza, labelled his Copty Scholarship offer as ‘life-altering’. Having completed his application from a congested tent, Aldalis highlighted the obstacles he faced in the form of scant access to electricity, internet and basic essentials. The scholarship, though a dream come true, doesn’t encompass the vital expenditures he has to manage prior to commencing his studies. He cited that his family’s economic circumstances, due to the ongoing war, restrict him from mustering the required travel and initial living expenses.
Queen’s University acknowledged the fiscal difficulties faced and assured enhanced financial backing. The statement assured a £7,000 increase per scholar for the academic year, exclusively aimed at offsetting the visa fees and travel costs.