EduTimes Africa: Briefly tell us what has changed between the time you were given an admission to the university in 2022; what student life is like based on your experience and your post-graduation experience now. What has been the impact of the new immigration policy?
Raji Bamidele: International students are in the United Kingdom to study. Consequently, international students are restricted on things they can do and cannot do. It is even more challenging if you want to support yourself financially and you want to work. International students are restricted to working for a maximum of just twenty hours a week. Also, in the UK the cost of living is on the increase. Inflation has started creeping in. The war between Ukraine and Russia has also affected the United Kingdom. All these are issues that international students have to contend with, aside from the fact that they must also study hard. That is if they are even lucky enough to get a twenty hours a week job. So, it is not easy for many foreign students. When you compare the money you brought from Nigeria to what you need to use it for here, it is never going to be enough. Especially with the comparatively high cost of living here. But then, Nigerians are very resilient, strong, and hardworking people. We always find a way to cope, no matter the situation.
Because the Nigerian society places so much value on those who have had the ‘UK experience’ that tends to keep many of the students here going despite the hardship, oftentimes. The belief is that a UK degree will give one an edge in the Nigerian job market. I chose to be different by having a decent UK working experience too. I know a lot of other students and graduates who are doing all sorts of things to garner the ‘UK experience’.
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EduTimes Africa, a product of Education Times Africa, is a magazine publication that aims to lend its support to close the yawning gap in Africa's educational development.
