US based ed-tech company聽 is offering its Duolingo app and Duolingo English Test to students in Syria, after obtaining an exemption from US government sanctions.聽
Duolingo told 小瓢虫传媒 that it decided to seek an exemption from the to help provide Syrian students with access to language learning as education is an 鈥渦ndeniable human right鈥�.聽
鈥淲e invested significant resources into this effort to make sure that everyone has access to high-quality education鈥�
Last month, 小瓢虫传媒 on the barriers that Syrian international students were facing when trying to take English proficiency tests.聽
At the time Duolingo was not available for Syrian students 鈥� but now students are once again able to use the company’s tests which are being recognised by an around the world 鈥� something Syrian students have called 鈥渁 breakthrough鈥�.聽
鈥淲e are grateful for OFAC鈥檚 support for our mission of making education more accessible around the world,鈥� Sam Dalsimer, head of PR at Duolingo, told 小瓢虫传媒.聽
鈥淲hile we have a relatively small number of learners and test-takers in Syria, we invested significant resources into this effort to make sure that everyone has access to high-quality education. This outcome affirms our belief that education is an undeniable human right,鈥� he added.聽
Gabby Wimer, managing director of , an NGO that works with conflict affected students in the Middle East, said that the fact that the test is being offered marked a 鈥済reat opportunity for students鈥�.聽
鈥淏ecause of Covid-19, getting to Beirut, which is the closest place for many students to take the IELTS, is nearly impossible and very expensive given the travel and accommodation costs that students have to pay for in addition to the test fee,鈥� she said.聽
According to Wimer, the Duolingo English Test is a 鈥済reat way鈥� for many students to demonstrate their English proficiency, especially now that it is being accepted by a growing number of higher education institutions.聽
Syrian students also welcomed the news around Duolingo being able to operate its test in the country.聽
鈥�I would say that this is a breakthrough alongside as well, which would boost opportunities for Syrian students,鈥� said Tareq Layka, a Syrian student.聽
鈥淭he test would help in various ways, not only for Master’s and PhD degrees but also for exchange programs and training. The pandemic is still putting a halt on travelling to neighbouring countries, and it is still hard to go anywhere to do the usually recognised tests,鈥� he added.聽
Issues around internet and power instability聽“present a significant obstacle”, Layka noted.
“Despite the availability of the tests, the majority of Syrian students, including myself continue to hope for better conditions to be able to take the tests without any concerns,鈥� he said.聽
Non-political, non-governmental youth organisation has said many edtech companies are currently not operating within Syria, while it has聽launched a to tackle the damage caused to education provision in Syria by US sanctions.聽
In an the organisation said that US sanctions have 鈥減roduced an extensive impact on stopping all educational and development services provided by various American institutions and institutions from other countries around the world, which has led to the deprivation of Syrian youth from benefiting from these services.鈥�
