11.10.2004
Among the first year undergraduates beginning their studies at the University of Brighton this term are Sicelesile Ndlovu from Zimbabwe and Lubinda Mbundi from Zambia. The students are the first to benefit from the new University of Brighton Pestalozzi Scholarship Scheme.
The scholarships are open to students at the Pestalozzi International Village near Sedlescombe, East Sussex who wish to go on to higher education. The Village accommodates 16-19 year olds from India, Nepal, Nigeria, Zambia, Zimbabwe and the Tibetan communities in India while they undertake a two-year International Baccalaureate (IB) programme at Hastings College of Arts and Technology.
Two full scholarships will be awarded in 2004, 2005 and 2006. They are valid for all three years of an undergraduate course and provide full tuition fees and financial bursaries meeting half the students' living costs. It is expected that Pestalozzi scholars will complement this provision with income from paid employment.
Lubinda Mbundi and Sicelesile Ndlovu
Neither Sicelesile nor Lubinda would have been able to undertake higher education in the UK without the support of this scholarship scheme.
20-year-old Sicelesile, who hopes to qualify as a software engineer, said: "I am really looking forward to starting my course, meeting lots of new people and living in Brighton. Zimbabwe is a growing country and with my degree I hope to have some input into Zimbabwean development when I return home. I also have ambitions to learn to fly a plane at some stage in my career!"
Lubinda , also 20 years old, is studying Biological Sciences and has a particular interest in Biochemistry. He too is keen to get started on his course and meet his fellow students. He said: "When I finish my degree I would like to study for an MSc and then return to Zambia to work in hospital-based biochemical research, possibly in a rural area. I hope my studies will enable me to play a part in health care developments in my country."
While at the Pestalozzi International Village, the students undertook volunteer work in the local community, supported by the Pestalozzi International Development Education Centre (PIDEC). Sicelesile was a classroom assistant for one day each week in the reception class of a Hastings primary school, while Lubinda worked at the John Taplin Centre for the visually impaired in Hastings. They both helped with the annual Global Fusion international festival of world music, crafts, drama and story-telling at Pestalozzi and with smaller events for local schools, community groups and the general public, sharing aspects of their own cultures and experiences.
During their two years at Sedlescombe International Village the students both gained the Duke of Edinburgh Bronze award, were enthusiastic members of Rotaract, and have become confident public speakers through talking to local groups and schools about the Pestalozzi organisation and their home countries.
Contact:
Pat Herbert, University of Brighton, Marketing & Communications
phone 01273 643226
The use of the Sedlescombe International Village has changed over time. Since 1997 its residential students are all in the 16-19 age range and take a specially designed International Baccalaureate Diploma programme at Hastings College of Arts & Technology. Up to 32 students can be accommodated. They all come from very low-income families and backgrounds and are currently drawn from India, Nepal, Nigeria, Zambia, Zimbabwe and the Tibetan communities in India.
The Pestalozzi International Development Education Centre (PIDEC) works with about 30 schools in East Sussex and Kent, as well as colleges and community groups, to promote education for global citizenship. The Pestalozzi International Village Trust (charity number 1098422) is funded mostly by voluntary donations and has frequent public events.
The Pestalozzi students are all exceptionally able, having achieved high educational qualifications and shown a commitment to community service in their home countries. All have made commitments to return home and to assist in the social and economic development of their own countries.
Contact: Marketing and Communications, University of Brighton, 01273 643022
