A first-class experience

Happy campus! A RECORD number of 23 students have chalked up first-class honours degrees as University Campus Oldham celebrates its fifth anniversary.

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A STUDENT who was forced to leave school in war-torn Iraq at the age of 13 is celebrating a top degree.

Fazil Abdullah gained first- class honours in information communication technology (ICT) at University Campus Oldham.

The 28-year-old, who had to learn English, is among the record number of 23 students who have gained firsts as the campus celebrates its fifth anniversary.

Their achievements were celebrated at a lunch at the campus which is part of Huddersfield University.

Many of them have inspiring stories or juggled looking after young children with their studies after originally missing out on higher education.

Fazil came to Oldham in 2003. He worked in internet shops before gaining basic qualifications.

He said: “When I left school the Iraq situation was very bad. When I came here I realised education is much easier to take part in compared with my country and I was not too old. I started learning English first at Oldham College and then did computing.”

Fazil, who lives in Clarksfield, also worked five hours a day at Park Cake in Hathershaw.

He now hopes to train as a teacher and thanked friends, family, colleagues and tutors for their support.

“I am very proud and very happy. I am going to be happy for the rest of my life,” he added.

Mum-of-two Jackie Fearon, from Greenfield, studied business computing with multimedia so she could get a job which fitted in with caring for her disabled son Harrison.

The 10-year-old, who has an undiagnosed condition, attends Kingfisher School, Chadderton, while brother Lewis (8) is a pupil at Greenfield St Mary’s.

Jackie (36) originally left school at 16.

She said: “UCO has been great. I would have struggled to do a course like this anywhere else.”

Mums Michelle Worrall (46), Dianne Hornby (42) and Jody Durr (39) revealed that they had become “first-class” friends as well as gaining first class psychological studies degrees.

Michelle and Jody have daughters at university.

Dianne added: “As mature students I think it is better to come to a smaller campus like Oldham rather than a big university.

“We did not only get first-class degrees but first-class friends. We definitely got each other through it and all our marriages have survived!”

Former Radclyffe School pupils Chris Forde (21) and Dean Stoloff (20) decided to study digital arts practice at UCO so they could continue to live at home.

Meanwhile, Tony Mackin (46) is the first student at the campus to achieve first-class honours while studying business administration and management part-time.

The father-of-two from Thornham is the Oldham Chronicle’s management accountant and fitted the course in at lunchtimes and evenings.

He praised the support of his family and the company, adding: “I left school at 16 and I always felt it was something I did not have an opportunity to do. It’s been fantastic.”