BEIRUT: The Democratic Palestinian Youth Union called for a university for Palestinians in Lebanon, the state-run National News Agency reported Wednesday.

A delegation of the union visited the headquarters of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in Beirut and handed in the Commissioner-General of UNRWA, Filippo Grandi, who is on a short visit to Lebanon, a memo including their demand, the NNA said.

The memo explained the difficulties Palestinian undergraduates face in terms of the high cost of university education, and called for establishing a university with no fees for Palestinians in Lebanon, according to the NNA report.

“A university free of fees can be established for Palestinians in Lebanon by the UNRWA, in cooperation with the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO),” the memo said.

“Palestinian refugees in Lebanon cannot afford the high cost of Lebanese universities,” the memo added.

UNRWA operates one of the largest school systems in the Middle East and has been the main provider of free-of-charge basic education to Palestinian refugees in different Arab countries.

However, the U.N. association does not operate any universities, although it helps secure some university scholarships for students who excel academically.