CONFIDENTIAL
ANNEX VIII
REFUGEE STUDENTS IN THE UK
1. The United Kingdom has a generous policy towards the admission of refugees. Refugee students, however, like other new arrivals, are ineligible for mandatory awards for first degree and equivalent courses until they have 3 years' ordinary residence in the United Kingdom. Local education authorities have powers to make discre- tionary awards at this level and may be prepared to waive the 3 year residence rule in special cases.
2.
The ODM, however, has given assistance in recent years to students from certain developing countries who may be broadly classed as refugees while not necessarily claiming recognition of their status in terms of the UN convention. The schemes of assistance have evolved within the broad confines of the overseas aid programme in response to particular situations. In the financial year 1977/78 ODM expenditure on regugee students was £6,200,000 of which £5,055,000 was spent in respect of 1,800 refugee students in the United Kingdom. In the financial year 1978/79, the ODM is expecting to spend in the region of £5,864,000 as detailed below.
3. Some student were already studying in the UK when they became refugees because of the political situation in their home country. Others were following or about to begin courses of further education in their own countries and came to the UK as refugees and continued their studies. The support given by ODM has generally concentrated on postgraduate and equivalent educational training but training at lower levels in technical subjects or at pre-university level has been given under some schemes. Tuition fees are met under these schemes and maintenance and book allowances are provided.
4. Where refugee students have been brought to the UK to continue their studies, the cost of their passages and of their dependents has been met by the ODM. Most of the refugee student schemes are administered by agencies such as the World University Service (UK) with grants from ŎDM.
ODM assistance to refugee students in UK financial year 1978/79
Country
Chile
No of students
Currently involved
434 30
180
Namibia
Uganda
Ethiopia
105
Rhodesia
1,265
*
Cyprus
20
*
Vietnam
4
Estimated expenditure
£2,185,000
£120,000
£501,000 £300,000 £2,740,000
£10,000
2,038
£8,000
£5,864,000
*
Programme being wound up
(Note: Rhodesian students in the UK are not classified as refugees)
CONFIDENTIAL
/ANNEX IX
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.