"You Just Hope for a Better Future"

Even after a quiet month away for Christmas, UCLU Student Action for Refugee's campaign for equal access to higher education for those seeking protection has managed to maintain momentum. Our event on Tuesday 15th January saw inspirational presentations from members of the Refugee Support Network, STAR National and the Council for the Assistance of Refugee Academics reaffirm why the question of equal access matters for students at UCL and in universities across the country.

Broadly speaking, why should ensuring that those seeking protection have equal access to education matter? For Latefa Guemar, our speaker from CARA, it is a question of both a right to education and a freedom of academic thought. Herself escaping persecution in Algeria, Latefa highlighted the need for the protection of academics, researchers and students who may be at risk in their home countries. Our universities, she believes (as do we!), are only set to benefit from the increased diversity in teaching, thought and information that can be found in refugee academics and students. But what about young asylum seekers and those with discretionary leave to remain who hope to study at UK institutions?

Now, if you've been following our campaign over the last few months, you'll already be aware of some of the key issues that our speakers flagged up in terms of access to higher education for those seeking protection. But perhaps Emily Bowerman, from the Refugee Support Network, put it most clearly on Tuesday. She highlighted that asylum seekers and those with discretionary leave to remain face a myriad of barriers when attempting to access higher education as students, far beyond the economic question of international fees and financing. Due to poor advice (or no advice at all), many young people seeking protection simply do not know that their immigration status will prejudice their access to higher education in the UK. And even with fateful irony, much of the applicant's paperwork that is demanded by UCAS and university administration is held by the Home Office.

Take the case of Hamidullah, who was kind enough to tell his story to our audience on Tuesday. Fleeing persecution in Afghanistan, he arrived in the UK as a young teenager and sought asylum. He dedicated his life to education; learning English from scratch, enrolling at college and securing the good grades he needed to be given a place at his chosen university. But despite receiving an offer from a University, he quickly realised that because of his unsettled immigration status, he would be unable to join his friends as they moved on to higher education. Only granted Discretionary Leave to Remain by the UK Home Office (a limited right to remain in the UK normally lasting for 2 - 3 years, upon which the individual's case is reviewed), Hamidullah had no access to student loans and was faced with international fees. Essentially, his access to higher education was not based on merit.

This, in the words of Emily of STAR National, is particularly problematic for young asylum seekers and those with discretionary leave to remain who have studied as teenagers in the UK, but are left to watch their friends progress into higher education as they are left behind. The current situation disables the transformative potential of education for those seeking protection and safety in the UK.

We, at UCLU Student Action for Refugees, believe that cases like Hamidullah's are unjust. Education is a right, and not a privilege; an indecision on the behalf of the Home Office shouldn't be able to further disrupt the lives of those seeking protection by denying their equal access to higher education.

We're not the Home Office, but we are students and we can change the way that our University treats those seeking protection. We're asking for UCL's Provost to reclassify asylum seekers and those with discretionary leave to remain as home students, and to open up bursaries and scholarships to these students also. We believe that by removing the barriers to higher education for those seeking protection in the UK within our own University, we can begin to grant real equal access to education for all. If you want to sign our petition, you can do so here, or if you're interested in supporting our campaign generally, give us an email and get involved!

Hamidullah, when asked what his plans and aspirations were for the next few years, simply stated that "you just hope for a better future." We couldn't have said it better ourselves.