Dear Professor David Richardson,

                I write to you in my capacity as president of UEA Migrant Solidarity Campaign about an important issue that has come to my attention. I urge you to please consider this matter as swiftly as possible and we would greatly appreciate the opportunity to discuss this with you further at a suitable time between the 4th and the 12th January.

                Through my volunteering with the Norwich organisation New Routes, which helps to integrate refugees and asylum seekers into the local community, I became aware of the unfortunate situation many refugees of college and university age find themselves in. The complexity of the asylum process means that many families are left awaiting a decision or going through an appeals process for up to 5 years. During this time, asylum seekers are entitled to some benefits but are not allowed to work, and of relevance here is that the children of those families are not entitled to student finance and in some cases, depending on their asylum status, can even be charged as international students.

                I also learned that this is not a hypothetical scenario, but that there are many people who find their access to higher education blocked even in a small city like Norwich. Naturally, this waiting period can be devastating to a young person’s life plans and academic growth. However, I also learned of a project started by the Helena Kennedy foundation called the Article 26 Campaign which helps asylum seeking students overcome this obstacle to higher education. It does this by encouraging universities to offer Article 26 Awards or Scholarships to a small number of asylum seeking students each academic year. A list of universities offering these scholarships and far more useful information can be found on the Helena Kennedy Foundation website. (http://article26.hkf.org.uk/). UEA Migrant Solidarity campaign have been working to gather relevant resources which we can share upon your request. I was disappointed to find that UEA was not on the list.

                Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is access to education, and it states that ‘higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit’. It seems to me to be clear that for many young people in the UK this is not the case. A family who are not allowed to work and must live on benefits cannot afford to pay for their child to go to university. During this time period, a hopeful student will find their human right of access to higher education on the basis of merit denied. I know that in this country and especially in our higher education institutions we like to think of ourselves as those who uphold human rights- unfortunately, while UEA does not offer access to the many students in this position who may want to study here, I believe it may be in violation of Article 26.

                Many universities offer only one or two of these scholarships. UCL have been outstanding and have offered 6 scholarships after campaigning by students. UEA Migrant Solidarity Campaign committee urge you to please consider offering 5 of these scholarships for the academic year 2016/2017. As UEA recruits more than 2,000 paying undergraduate students per year the financial implications of this will be of little concern to the university. The implications, however, for upholding human rights and making UEA a progressive institution which accepts students on the basis of merit rather than income, will be widely felt, not least to those students who would love the opportunity to study here. I know personally of asylum seeking students in this area who would like to apply to UEA but cannot, simply because they cannot afford it.

                Yours sincerely,

UEA Migrant Solidarity Campaign