Time to end brain drain says Rochdale MP

Paul Rowen MP & Sajid Suleman

Rochdale MP Paul Rowen has thrown his weight behind Rochdale Student Sajid Suleman's campaign to end the Rochdale 'brain drain'.  Paul has met with the 18-year-old student to hear his protests about "the lack of decent colleges in Rochdale."  Two years ago the former Oulder Hill Student hit the headlines when he received some of the highest GCSE Grades in the country.  Unfortunately he felt that he had no choice but to go to college in Oldham.

Sajid said: "I would have liked to have took my A levels at a college in Rochdale but because of a lack of decent colleges in Rochdale I feel I had no choice but to go to a college outside the borough.  I think people like myself are perfect examples of the need for this college. My A Level results have not appeared on the Rochdale tables even though I am a Rochdalian. This means others like myself who have done well will not appear on the tables, this I feel, explains why Rochdale's A level results are below the national average."

Sajid continued his success and got 4 "A Grades" at A-Level and now will read Law at King's College in London.  He continued: "I also saw the results of numerous other A level students doing well but unfortunately they too were not at a Rochdale college.  If enough awareness is raised and Rochdale citizens actively campaign for this college, then Rochdale could have its own quality college in the near future."

Paul Rowen MP said: "I was hugely impressed by the positive attitude of Sajid who is a credit to the young people of Rochdale.  He is typical of the type of student that we need to keep in Rochdale; he is the perfect example of why we need to end the brain drain from Rochdale.  I totally agree with Sajid and will be meeting the Learning Skills Council to discuss the funding for a new 1000 place six-form college in the centre of Rochdale.  I want the best for the young people in our Town and I will be supporting a report that will go to the Council's Cabinet in September that will hopefully put the building blocks in place to radically change six-form education in Rochdale."