Ever since he was a boy in Iraq, Marwan al Shagra, 23, has dreamed of designing aircraft.

COMMENTS SUSPENDED DUE TO ABUSE

Ever since he was a boy in Iraq, Marwan al Shagra, 23, has dreamed of designing aircraft.

"I have always wanted to do something with planes," he says. "I always liked them and I followed all the news about them, including all the technical advances. Now I want to be a part of it."

Marwan and his family, from Pollokshaws, have been in Scotland for five years, after fleeing Iraq to escape political persecution under Saddam Hussein's regime.

Marwan has pursued his academic studies. At Langside College, he achieved two As and a B in Higher maths, physics and chemistry. He then went on to complete an HND in mechanical engineering at Stow College. Recently, he received a Hammerman Award - a prize given to high-achievers who hope to pursue further studies in engineering.

Marwan has been accepted to study aeronautical engineering at Glasgow University and engineering at Strathclyde University. But as an asylum seeker, he is classed as a foreign student, and faces fees of £5000-£23,000 a year.

"As asylum seekers, myself and my family are forbidden from working, so there is no possibility of paying this fee."

Thanks to the policy announced today by the executive, academic high-achievers such as Marwan will pay the same fees as domiciled Scots.

"This new policy will be a great thing for many asylum seekers," says Marwan." But he will not benefit - he has not spent three years at secondary school.

"If our case for asylum is accepted I can apply for a work permit and get a job to finance my studies," he says. "In the meantime I must carry on, waiting and waiting. It's not a good feeling."

The Scottish Refugee Council has helped Marwan to look for scholarships to allow him to fulfil his dream. "I believe that if I have the opportunity to study, I will be able to achieve things which will benefit Scotland," he says. "I will keep on trying hard, because you do not wait for knowledge to come to you, you must go out and seek it."