Pakistani student in UK appeals for financial help to continue education

LONDON: A Pakistani student, who made history by winning a full scholarship in 2018 to study at the elite Eton College, is now struggling to continue his college education due to a lack of funds.

Muhammad Hamza Shaukat, 18, made headlines in English newspapers when he secured a prized scholarship at Eton College — the alma mater that has produced 20 British Prime Ministers — seven years after moving to London with his family from an underdeveloped area in Mianwali.

Shaukat is still a student at Eton for the next six months but, while his peers have chosen universities and look forward to moving to the next stage of their careers, the Pakistani migrant's son faces exceptional circumstances as he has no finances to pay fees for the University of California.

The American varsity has offered him the largest amount in scholarship they possibly can to international students, at $18,000 for four years, but Shaukat still needs at least £45,000 for the first year.

The young student's situation is complicated further by the fact that he cannot apply for any scholarship or loan grants in the UK or the US because his father would be eligible for Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK after a year.

Furthermore, the family says their appeals to the Pakistani government were not fruitful as the government does not have funding for undergraduate study in the US.

Shaukat's story

Shaukat’s story is remarkable. He became only the second Pakistani ever to win the now-rebranded Orwell 6th Form scholarship at Eton College. The normal fees — including expenses for every student for each year — is estimated at around £70,000, which his father would not have imagined paying ever in his life.

It was in 2017 when, while studying GCSE in an East London working-class school, he applied for a scholarship at Eton College based on his exceptional curriculum performance, co-curriculum excellence, and leadership ambitions.

After being shortlisted for the scholarship, Shaukat was invited to spend four days at Eton and undergo a series of interviews and tests. The college was impressed and he  was awarded the coveted scholarship, joining in 2018 as a boarding student.

At home, in quarantine these days due to the COVID-19 lockdown and worried about his future, Shaukat is happy that all his college friends would move up the ladder in their careers — with private sponsorships to the likes of University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, London School of Economics (LSE), and Yale University.

For Shaukat, however, it seems to be almost a dead end as he has no means to fund his education. He has already appealed for funds from individuals, as well as private and corporate sources, and has promised to even return the money as loans upon completing his education.

"My run at Eton will soon come to an end. It was a remarkable experience," he said. "My Housemaster has called my time here as ‘exceptional’ and is extremely impressed by how I have settled in and made a name for myself.

"For my next steps, I have been offered the academic achievement scholarship by University of California but the issue is that [...] they do not offer any kind of further assistance to domestic out-of-state citizens let alone internationals, and this is exacerbated by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Furthermore, funds of many varsities such as the University of California have dried up, Shaukat said. "The opportunity is great for me because I will be studying economics, energy resources, and hedge fund management to hopefully be in a position in the future to give back to the world in an impactful and lasting manner.

"But the problem is that I originate from a humble background and my family doesn’t have this kind of money so the fees are not affordable and out of reach for me. Being a Pakistani resident, I cannot apply for UK funds.”

Eton experience

Speaking to Geo.tv, he said studying at Eton College for two years was a wonderful experience. "It was life changing. I was able to learn so much and gain access to some of the world’s best institutions and people who have excelled in life.

"It was an aristocratic set-up but with lots of discipline and focus on learning. I was chosen to be in-charge of Eton’s world renowned societies programme and travelled to many parts of the world, explored cultures and met some of the world’s most influential people in innovation, business and politics.

"I learnt how to improve myself and how to move forward,” he mentioned.

Shaukat said that Eton is famous because it taught pupils leadership skills in a unique way. “It teaches through practical means how to become disciplined, grooms your personality, and infuses leadership skills. In Eton’s environment you get to learn all the time.

"You develop your character through leadership. The purpose of these trips is to help strengthen our mind and also to physically challenge students.”

Shaukat was born in a village on the outskirts of Mianwali and moved to the UK to study at the age of eight. He recalled that Mianwali and Eton are two extremes of the spectrum.

“There is no comparison to begin with. One day I would like to become part of Pakistan’s socioeconomic progress and giving modern education to students in rundown areas like Mianwali will be my top priority,” he said.

Shaukat became the second Pakistani in history to reach Eton on scholarship, first from his town and local school in London. He was also the first Pakistani to earn a full scholarship for a summer school at one of America’s top institutions: Phillips Exeter Academy.

More recently, he has been the face of Eton’s Campaign for the Orwell scholarship, being part of their campaign video and brochure featuring the college headmaster.

He has also played handball at the national level for UK’s most successful club, while the Pakistan Handball Federation was interested in him playing for his homeland. With his classmates from Eton, Shaukat traveled to all parts of Europe, sailed the North and Baltic Sea, met new people, and climbed the Swiss Alps.

Now, however, he has another mountain to climb.