Tullamore students in the running for top Irish Red Cross award

The students of Tullamore College have been nominated for a prestigious humanitarian award.

They are one of theree finalists nominated for an Irish Red Cross Student Initiative Award in recognition of their successful campaign against the deportation of their classmate, Nonso Moujeke and his family.

When the students and teachers in Tullamore College learned that 14-year-old Nonso, his mother and older brother were to be deported, they rallied around them and started a campaign opposing the deportation on human rights grounds. The Moujeke family had been living in Ireland for 12 years.

Tullamore College students conducted a social media campaign which was carried by all local and national media outlets and they also secured over 22,000 signatures on a petition.

The school galvanized not just the local community but their voice was heard on an international stage as they received messages of support from all over the world. Last month, the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of the Department of Justice, confirmed that the Moujeke family had been granted permission to remain in the State.

Speaking to the Offaly Independent, teacher Joe Caslin said that it was “great” that the students are being acknowledged for the “incredible amount of work” they put in during the campaign, along with the teachers and parents.

“The first sense of acknowledgement came when the Moujeke family were given permission to remain in Ireland and this just further validates their good work.

“It is a great lesson for the students that there was a good outcome and they can see the value in what they did.”

As for Nonso, Mr Caslin says that he quickly settled back into being “just a regular student”.

“The focus now is on the Junior Certificate and he is flying through it. He is an incredibly good student and an incredibly high achiever with a great future ahead,” he ended.