Cambridge University Press & Assessment (Cambridge) and Lebanese NGO Alsama Project have signed an agreement during the Education World Forum to collaborate on a new qualification for refugees and displaced young people that can be rolled out in Lebanon and worldwide. The new G12++ qualification is designed to tackle the education crisis faced by displaced youth excluded from university, training and employment, providing them with a recognised pathway to further education and skilled employment.
The agreement was signed in the presence of senior representatives of UNESCO, the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, and the Lebanese Ministry of Education & Higher Education. It will see Cambridge and Alsama Project work together for displaced young people, with the objective of scaling the initiative internationally and enhancing the G12++’s recognition among universities, employers, and policymakers.
Lebanon is home to 1.3 million forcibly displaced people, according to UNHCR data. Globally, there are 117.3 million forcibly displaced people, including 49 million displaced children. Only 9% of refugees around the world attend higher education, compared with an average of 42% among the global population. Millions of talented young people are locked out of higher education and skilled work, not through lack of ability, but lack of proof. Without a formal high school certificate to show universities, vocational programmes and employers, displaced young people are being left behind, and the world is missing out on access to this talent pool.
In response, Alsama Project – an NGO based in Shatila refugee camp in Beirut, Lebanon that educates teenagers outside of formal schooling – established the G12++. Originally inspired by Alsama students themselves, the qualification is designed as an alternative to traditional secondary school exit exams for learners whose education has been disrupted.
The G12++ is curriculum agnostic and aims to embrace international standards while remaining relevant to a learner’s refugee context. It gauges their capabilities, not their ability to recite content. Questions are crafted to be relatable to real life – highlighting critical thinking, soft skills, and potential.
Over the past two years, Cambridge has worked with Alsama to strengthen the assessment approach and support exam development. This work draws on Cambridge’s experience delivering assessments to more than 8 million learners each year in over 170 countries.
Alsama Project launched the first G12++ examination in February 2026 in Shatila refugee camp. Several students who arrived in the camps unable to read or do basic maths have now attained the G12++ qualification, a significant milestone earned through a rigorous, assessed programme. This credential enables students to validate their learning and secure access to universities, vocational training and employment.
The new agreement will build on this foundation to serve learners globally.
Cambridge and Alsama Project will work together to:
- Further develop the G12++ qualification and supporting learning programme.
- Expand delivery through a network of trusted NGO partners around the world.
- Build recognition with universities, vocational education providers and employers.
- Engage governments and international bodies.
- Work with funders to support implementation and scale.
Cambridge and Alsama Project have announced they are looking for universities, employers, TVET institutions and policymakers to partner with them to scale the G12++ worldwide.
Jane Mann, Managing Director, Partnership for Education, Cambridge, said:
“In times of conflict, education is so often among the first casualties. The global education crisis caused by forced displacement will only grow as climate change and conflict uproot more young people.
“When young people are forced to leave school and flee, it’s not only their past they leave behind, but their future too. Working with Alsama Project, we will help them take back their futures through a new global qualification that will open pathways to universities, vocational programmes and employment. Displaced youth in Lebanon and across the globe need models that reflect their realities – and the world needs their talents.
“What began as an idea in a Lebanese refugee camp will, we hope, transform the life chances of millions of refugees and displaced youth worldwide. We are proud to partner with Alsama Project to develop and scale up the G12++. This grassroots NGO has been driving much-needed innovation in non-formal education for displaced youth in the Middle East and beyond, and we look forward to helping them deliver these innovations globally.”
Meike Ziervogel, Co-Founder and CEO of Alsama Project, said:
“The G12++ partnership with Cambridge is a milestone – not just 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.
“Cambridge has spent over 160 years defining what rigorous, credible assessment looks like. Their involvement sends a clear signal: 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.
“The barrier has never been ability. What has been missing is recognition. The G12++ exists to change that – and Cambridge’s partnership is what makes that argument impossible to ignore.”
Wissal Al-Jaber, a refugee student who fled Syria to Lebanon at the age of 9, after having spent a year imprisoned by Islamic State with her family, said:
“I have survived war more than once. Each time, I told myself: hold on to your education — because war may threaten your present, but education will protect your future. I have not had the opportunity to complete a full education, but I deserve the same future opportunities as those who have. The G12++ gives me that. It is exactly what I need to show the world what I am capable of — and to finally follow the dream that grew inside me for years. I want to study psychology, to build a future where my story becomes my strength.”
Professor Bhaskar Vira, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Education and Environmental Sustainability, University of Cambridge said:
“As a University of Sanctuary, the University of Cambridge is committed to supporting displaced people who come to the UK. Now, working with Alsama Project, we will be able to support them in Lebanon and across the world, while demonstrating that high-quality assessment for displaced and marginalised learners is both achievable and replicable. As such, the G12++ is a unique, transformative opportunity for refugee youth, universities and the global education community alike.”
Patrick Derham, G12++ Advisor and Former Headmaster of Westminster School, said:
“In both my personal experience and my work in education, I continuously see firsthand the unjust barriers that disadvantaged youth across the world face. While the solution is multi-faceted, the G12++ offers a critical part of it: an internationally-recognised qualification that is curriculum-agnostic.
“Through this qualification, we can provide a pathway to higher education and employment for many who are currently excluded, despite their drive and talent, unlocking the incredible potential of so many to benefit the world.
“Of all the projects that I have been involved with, this is the one that has the potential to make the greatest difference.”
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