A student whose parents had migrated from Bangladesh to the UK in the 1990s has hit the headlines as she became the first state-funded school student to bag the best debater award at the prestigious Eton Autumn Invitational competition.
Selina Begum beat off competition from 200 other students from across some of Britain’s most prestigious schools to be named champion after her arguments on junk food, rights to privacy and the abolition of the death penalty in the US were judged the best.
The 16-year-old had travelled with three of her classmates from Newham Collegiate Sixth Form based in the east end of London to Eton College, on the outskirts of Windsor, to take part in the annual debate competition earlier this month. At Eton, considered among the UK’s best private schools, she was selected as one of the top six speakers in the competition on the basis of her persuasive speech and her debating performance and went on to claim the overall title of Best Individual Speaker.
“To be a part of the debate was a privilege itself and to be acknowledged for that was even better,” said Selina.
“It is quite intense and intimidating but it is about having that drive and ambition that we are just as good as any of the others and we have been prepared for this. So, it’s about having self-belief and knowing you can get through it,” she said in reference to how she dealt with the pressure.
The schoolgirl attributes much of her success to her parents, who have encouraged her to pursue her dreams despite hardships. Her mother is a full-time carer for her disabled father in their home in Manor Park area of London.
"My parents have always instilled a drive in me to aim higher. As they were not privileged enough to go to college and study, they have always backed me from day one," she said.
Selina hopes to go on to study history at Oxford University and says she is now focussing on getting the right grades to get into one of the world's most famous educational institutions.
“What we want to embed in the school is the culture of success and the confidence that anyone can achieve success if provided with the right tools,” said Jerome Singh, her tutor and debate coordinator at Newham Collegiate Sixth Form.
The school is located in one of London's less well-off boroughs and caters to a large number of students from a Bangladeshi background based Newham.