156 EXCELLENCE IN HIGHER EDUCATION
A displaced learner at Shatila, one of thousands whose education was interrupted by conflict
A Qualification Built for Real Lives Over the past two years, Cambridge has worked with Alsama Project to strengthen the assessment approach and support exam development. This work draws on Cambridge’s experience in delivering assessments to more than 8 million learners each year in over 170 countries. For Ziervogel, Cambridge’s involvement sends an important message. “Cambridge has spent over 160 years defining what rigorous, credible assessment looks like,” she says. “Their involvement sends a clear signal that a qualification built inside a refugee camp can demonstrate a level of academic rigour that meets global benchmarks, opening doors for students who have survived war and displacement.”
Alsama Project, an NGO based in Shatila refugee camp in Beirut, Lebanon, established G12++ after working with teenagers outside formal schooling. Originally inspired by Alsama students themselves, the qualification offers an alternative to traditional secondary school exit exams for learners whose education has been interrupted. Rather than being tied to one curriculum, G12++ is curriculum agnostic. It aims to reflect international standards while remaining relevant to the realities of displaced learners. The qualification assesses capability, critical thinking, soft skills and potential, rather than simply testing a student’s ability to recite content. Meike Ziervogel, Co-
Founder and CEO of Alsama Project, says the partnership with Cambridge is significant not only for Alsama’s students, but for
“the millions of displaced youth worldwide who have been told that their education doesn’t count because it happened outside a formal system.”
Students participate in a G12++ learning
Powered by FlippingBook