Issue 51 Aurora Magazine October 2022

educate
MORE THAN A TEACHER
Ehsan Warasi’s Extraordinary Journey to Teaching
STORY SERENA KIRBY | PHOTO SERENA KIRBY
In a makeshift classroom without desks and chairs, and no qualified teacher, a young
Ehsan Warasi knew from an early age that education was a privilege.
Ehsan was just six years old when his family fled Afghanistan and headed to an Iranian
refugee camp. The Warasis were part of the Shi’a Hazara community - Afghanistan’s
most persecuted ethnic minority - and the community suffered from large scale
massacres, kidnappings, killings, torture and imprisonment at the hands of the Taliban.
Staying in Afghanistan was not an option.
“We were considered illegal immigrants in Iran so weren’t allowed to go to any official
school,” Ehsan explains.
“Many of my teachers were just kids themselves and none had formal training so
classes only went to Year 8. I never considered my education to be disadvantaged; you
don’t know you’re disadvantaged if you have nothing to compare it with. My parents
were illiterate but always encouraged us to learn and study. They were strong believers
in the value of education.”
After a decade in the camp Ehsan was at risk of being sent back to Afghanistan so he
put his life in the hands of people smugglers to take him to Australia. The last leg of the
journey was by boat from Indonesia and he spent 18 days drifting, often lost, on the
ocean before being rescued by the Australian Navy and taken to Christmas Island. Ehsan
had lost 10kg in less than three weeks.
“Australian detention was better than Iranian refugee camps and it was in detention
that I learnt English. That was important as it meant I could continue my schooling
when I was granted permanent residency a year later.”
On entering school Ehsan skipped Year 9 and 10 and went straight into Year 11. He
excelled in his studies and finished with an ATAR score of 98 out of 100. Ehsan then
went on to do a double degree in engineering and finance.
“After I graduated I found I didn’t really enjoy working in the corporate world; it
seemed all so meaningless so I joined Teach For Australia (TFA). It’s a not-for-profit
organisation that works to address educational inequality. They offer people, with other
qualifications, the chance to study teaching while actually working as a teacher in a
disadvantaged school. I saw it as a chance to give back to the country that saved my life.
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