A mam in Direct Provision has graduated from DCU despite her family facing deportation orders back in 2019.
Mehwish Saqib was proud to receive her degree in Early Childhood Education from the University yesterday.
Mehwish got her degree through DCU’s University of Sanctuary scholarship that allows refugees and asylum seekers to complete third level education.
She completed her course while living in Direct Provision with her husband Muhammad and their three children aged 10, 8 and 5.
Her family joined her at the graduation ceremony yesterday and she said: “I feel so proud (and) so lucky, I got a huge opportunity to do this degree.
“It is my passion to educate and pursue the teaching and childcare sector as a profession."
Mehwish found the final 18 months of her degree extremely difficult as classes were online due to the pandemic and her children were being home schooled at the same time.
And she has applied to do a Masters - but “because of my status they cannot give me a place.”
She said: “Where I live in Direct Provision, the massive problem is the internet. It takes so long to download files and for all of the classes I had to log in and then log in again. It was hard but I managed.
“The tutors were very supportive. They gave extra time if I needed an extension and if I didn’t understand something I would email them and they would answer.”
Mehwish is the first person to graduate under the University of Sanctuary scholarship.
She believes that it was “a huge, huge opportunity because if it did not happen, I cannot do this degree, I am not financially able.”
And her time in DCU also allowed for her to feel connected to Ireland and the community.
She continued: “The Irish community gave me so much during that time, “during the hard time when I got the deportation (order). I am very grateful that I met these good, kind hearted people during these four years.
“I want to be an educator practitioner in early childhood education. At the moment I do not have the right to work, I am just sitting at home.”
Her dissertation was on supporting children in guided play and if she was able to, she would like to do a Masters in education for children with special needs because she wants to “know their psychology and how they can be supported.”
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