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Thursday 18 August 2016

The University of Leicester must offer Scholarships to People who are Seeking Refuge

Today is ‪#‎ResultsDay‬. Many students who did well are celebrating and are preparing for university.

Today is also a reminder of one of the tragedies that's inherent in how Britain treats people who are seeking refuge.

Among those who got their results today are young people who will not be allowed to go to university for no reason other than that they are asylum seekers.

People who are seeking refuge should have the same access to university as any other similarly able young person.

In Leicester, De Montfort University (DMU) is offering a number of scholarships and awards to enable asylum seekers to access university. For that, I commend DMU.

The University of Leicester should offer similar scholarships and awards to people who are seeking refuge. The university should also lobby central government and encourage it to allow asylum seekers to access higher education. By doing neither of these things, the University of Leicester is condoning an injustice.