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In pursuit of equal education

Despite having lived in the UK since they were young children, some forced migrant students with various immigration statuses have found their backgrounds have become barriers to attending university.

Many discover that due to their status, financial support may not accessible from the student loans system, proving to be a fundamental block in access to education.

However, with the introduction of new funding such as the King’s Sanctuary Scholarships, now in its first year, talented undergraduates may be offered an opportunity to pursue their dreams of going to university.

If it wasn’t for this scholarship I may not have been able to go to university for another three years…It has offered me and my family a lifeline.– Arkam Babar, recipient of King’s Sanctuary Scholarship

Having been a legal resident of the UK for more than nine years after arriving at the age of ten, Arkam Babar discovered he was not eligible for student finance. Born in Pakistan, Arkam moved with his parents to the UK, who hoped to find financial security and educational opportunities for their children.

Sharon Akaka, now 19 having moved from Nigeria, found herself in a similar situation when applying for university. Arriving in the UK at the age of eight with her family, joining her father who already lived here, Sharon saw education as a vital distraction from the complex and lengthy immigration process her parents were facing.

With dreams of becoming a lawyer and after securing a place at King’s, Sharon was faced with huge financial pressures to fund herself through university. Discussing her frustrations over the barriers she faced, Sharon said: ‘I had seen myself to be British. I had British culture, British values. It made me realise that I am not British and I am going to be limited,’ she said.

Both Sharon and Arkam considered other possibilities: Sharon looked at expensive personal loans and Arkam had to turn down a place at another university whilst he sought financial support. Campaigning with charity Just for Kids Law as part of the Lets Us Learn youth-movement, they both lobbied for changes in law.

‘I searched for different options relentlessly as education means a great deal to me’, Arkam explained.

Arkam

Supported by Let Us Learn, Sharon and Arkam secured two sanctuary scholarships at King’s, where they study History and Geography respectively. The scholarships provide full tuition fee support and help with living costs for each year of an undergraduate programme, something Arkam says has opened-up the possibilities of educational equality.

‘If it wasn’t for this scholarship I may not have been able to go to university for another three years…It has offered me and my family a lifeline,’ he said.

More information about the Sanctuary Scholarships, eligibility and how to apply can be found on the Scholarships pages.

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