Top student Mark left school aged 10

Published on Monday 19 January 2009 09:07

A TEENAGER who left school when he was just ten years old has won Scotland's most prestigious award for horticulture students.

Seventeen-year-old Mark McKenzie left school to work in his Romany family's landscaping business as they travelled round the UK and Europe.

But despite not knowing anyone from the travelling community who had gone into further education, Mark decided two years ago to sign up for a course at Oatridge College in West Lothian.

He is now studying part-time for a Higher National Certificate in landscape management and has been awarded the Carter Patterson Memorial Medal by the Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society.

The society, which is in its bicentenary year, was impressed by Mark's skills and his success in overcoming his lack of formal education after he was named 'best student' by the college.

Mark and his family now have a permanent base at Fauldhouse in West Lothian, but as a child, Mark attended four different primary schools in the Scottish Borders and Ayrshire.

His secondary education consisted of two months of on-and-off distance learning organised by the Save the Children charity.

At the age of 15, he broke with the travellers' tradition and started college, despite having to overcome his fears about his numeracy and literacy levels.

He said: "I wanted to better myself but I was a bit scared because I felt I was at a disadvantage because I had no real secondary schooling.

"I knew I had an advantage from all the practical experience of working and in the end I came through with flying colours.

"I was really surprised to end up as best student in my year.

"It's a huge honour and one which I think will help me in my ambitions to continue my education."

When he finishes at Oatridge, Mark plans to go to America to continue his studies at Ohio State University. To prepare himself, he is taking lessons to improve his numeracy and literacy.

He said: "I've no intention of abandoning my Romany background or the way of life.

"Being a Traveller means that within limits, you can go where you want and be what you want.

"There may be a tiny minority who cause problems, but that's the same in all societies and all I want is to see Travellers being treated the same as everyone else."

Mark has been so dedicated to his course that the only time he missed classes was when he went to Brussels to lobby the European Parliament on Travellers' rights.

Horticultural team leader Ann Burns said: "This award is a great achievement for a truly remarkable young man. He's a veritable human sponge when it comes to learning

."