Having battled hard to gain his degree, Jigendra Singh’s greatest wish is that his father and younger disabled brother Dharman will be allowed to travel from Fiji to see him graduate with a Bachelor of Business Studies from EIT.

Jigendra grew up in Suva.  His mother died when he was three and since then his father, Vijan Singh, has filled the role of both parents, prioritising all his sons’ needs and providing opportunities for them to study.

“He concentrated on us,” Jigendra says.  “He wanted us to become something in our own right and to do something for us.  He’s a great dad, I couldn’t ask for anything better.  Now it’s time to look after him.”

Attending the traditional capping ceremony, to be staged in Napier’s Municipal Theatre on March 20-21, won’t be a problem for older brother Mahen, who works in a barber’s shop in Auckland.  However, Dharman’s visitor’s visa application was declined and Jigendra is now hoping his offer of a bond may change Immigration New Zealand’s mind.

“Fiji is such a poor country and people want to make a better life.  I understand Immigration New Zealand’s point of view.  Overstayers make it harder for visitors coming here from Fiji, but Dharman has never been anywhere – he stays home 24/7.  He would enjoy coming here.  I can just see the smile on his face.”

After leaving school, Jigendra gained his Certificate in Banking and Diploma in Accounting from the Fiji Institute of Technology.  He then worked as an accounting clerk in Palmerston North for 2½ years before taking up an accounting technician’s job in Taupo.

“But I wasn’t going anywhere without a qualification to go forward,” he says. “My boss said I should study for my degree.”

Jigendra enrolled at EIT but soon found his hard-earned savings over-stretched.  He rang his former boss, GK Accounting Taupo Ltd practice director Tony Wright, who offered him two days a week work.  Jigendra managed a demanding study-work routine by commuting weekly between Taupo and Napier, mostly by bus, for the last two years.

“It was really tough, I never had time for myself,” he says of four days of classes followed by two days of work.  But he’s delighted now to have realised his father’s dream for him to gain a degree.  “I feel over the moon at the moment.  All the pieces are coming together and I am slowly achieving what I want.”

Jigendra recently scored a “really good pay rise” and is now undertaking a year’s training to become second in charge at work.   He revels in Taupo’s relaxed lifestyle, regards New Zealand as his home and has recently been accepted for New Zealand citizenship.

“I have been in New Zealand for more than eight years – all my working life.  I’ve got everything except two people who I would love to be with me. I would do absolutely anything for my father and brother to come to New Zealand but it’s hard,” he says.  “I want them both for my graduation.”