Boy who escaped life of terror wins place at Eton

But a young refugee from Hull, whose family fled al-Qaida’s reign of terror in Afghanistan, has won a scholarship there, setting a course his proud teachers hope other students will follow.

Rohid Zamani, from the city’s Sirius Academy, is one of a handful to win a sixth form scholarship and bursary, and is thought to be the first from a state-funded school in Hull to do so.

The unassuming student who has set his heart on going into medicine and hopes to go on to be a consultant and entrepeneur, said: “Hopefully everything I want in life will be a little bit easier. I am going to make the best of it either way.”

The 16-year-old, who excels in sports as well as academic subjects, left Afghanistan with his parents, when he was just three and can reel off hair-raising tales of murder and violence that 
were commonplace under al-Qaida.

He said: “I remember my mum told me we were in the market place and this guy had styled his hair – put gel on it – and he was dragged out in the street and al-Qaida chopped his head off.

“There were people getting killed for almost no reason. Every day we were afraid.”

His father, who held a respected job as a civil engineer designing roads, decided they had to leave.

They almost didn’t make it. Their path led through Russia and at one point they had to get across a river in a leaking rubber dinghy.

He said: “My mum was scared we were going to sink. She put her hand on the hole. I was really scared. After that we had to wait for a van and the van broke down so we had to go through a forest. There were wolves and dogs, everybody was just so scared.”

He lost his parents, but they were eventually reunited: “I was crying when I did find them. I wouldn’t let my dad go,” he recalled.

Their new life in Hull was easier, and certainly safer, and he enjoyed school, even though he had to learn English.

But out of school, he did experience racism. At one point the family decided to go to Birmingham where they had friends, but the children couldn’t settle.

Rohid took matters into his own hands. Brian Roberts, the headteacher of Adelaide Primary School where Rohid started when he was about five, recalled: “I was working in my office late when I got a call from Rohid. He was only 10 at the time. He said, ‘Mr Roberts we are really unhappy.

‘If we come back to Hull would it be possible to come back to your school?’ I said I was sure it was a strong possibility.

“After a few months he did come back to school and he soon settled back in.

“It doesn’t surprise me that he is going on to greater things, because he had that vision of where he was going in life.”

Sport was a confidence booster for the quietly-spoken youngster – even though when he started rugby at Pickering High School, the precursor to Sirius, he says he couldn’t catch a ball, let alone tackle.

His ability bought him to the attention of both Hull KR and Hull FC, who offered him a scholarship. He signed up for a year with Hull KR, but a shoulder injury put paid to his nascent career.

Undeterred, the youngster, who also holds the triple jump record at his school, took up kick-boxing.

He enjoyed a session on the first night at Eton, where he underwent four days of gruelling tests and interviews.

Adam Rust, leader of the sixth form at Sirius, said Rohid, who will don a waistcoat and tails at the world-famous school in September, was a pleasure to teach: “He is one of the most appreciative lads I have ever met. I think he is quite level-headed – most kids would crumble with a four-day interview.

“He is as comfortable having a laugh with friends as having his head down in class.”

Children’s services portfolio holder Coun Helene O’Mullane said she hoped his success would inspire other students and wished him continued success.”