Andy Burnham Says Brexit Made Britain’s Small Boats Crisis Worse, But University Founder Dr Klodian Allajbeu Reveals One Surprising Way to Stop More Young Migrants From Risking Their Lives to Reach the UK

Andy Burnham has raised concerns about the growing number of migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats, arguing that Brexit has made the problem harder for Britain to deal with.

However, Dr Klodian Allajbeu, the founder of Western Balkans University in Albania, believes there is another way to help reduce the number of young people making these dangerous journeys.

Writing in The Independent, he argued that giving young people better access to education, scholarships and job opportunities could help tackle some of the reasons they decide to leave their home countries.

Many young people living in countries such as Albania face serious difficulties when trying to build a better future. Some struggle to find good jobs, while others cannot afford to attend university or receive the training they need to improve their lives.

For some, the possibility of earning more money in Britain becomes an attractive option, even when getting there means taking a dangerous journey across the English Channel.

People smugglers often take advantage of these situations by promising young migrants a better life abroad. They charge large amounts of money to arrange journeys that can put people’s lives at risk.

But Allajbeu believes that some young people might make different decisions if they were given opportunities to succeed in their own countries.

He highlighted the importance of scholarships, which can allow students from families with limited money to continue their education without worrying about how to pay their university fees.

For example, a young person who feels there is no future at home may begin thinking about leaving for Britain. However, receiving a scholarship and having the chance to study for a degree could give that person another option.

Instead of paying people smugglers and risking their life at sea, they could focus on education, learning useful skills and preparing for employment.

Allajbeu’s argument is that education can give young people hope and help them see a future in their own countries.

He also believes that Britain and other European countries should pay more attention to the problems that encourage young people to migrate, rather than concentrating only on what happens when they reach the border.

Meanwhile, Andy Burnham has argued that Britain’s departure from the European Union has made it more difficult to cooperate with European countries on immigration.

Before Brexit, Britain was part of European arrangements that allowed certain asylum seekers to be transferred to other participating countries under specific conditions.

After Brexit, those arrangements no longer applied to Britain in the same way, creating additional difficulties for the government.

Burnham believes closer cooperation with European countries is important if Britain wants to deal with the small boats crisis more effectively.

However, Allajbeu’s wider message is that stopping dangerous crossings also requires attention to the reasons people decide to leave their countries in the first place.

He believes investment in education could make a difference, particularly for young people who are leaving mainly because they cannot find suitable opportunities at home.

Scholarships could help students gain qualifications, develop professional skills and improve their chances of finding employment.

Better education could also help local businesses by creating a more skilled workforce, which may support economic growth and provide more opportunities for future generations.

However, education alone cannot stop every migrant from travelling to Britain.

Some people leave their countries because of war, violence or persecution, while others may still choose to move abroad even when they have qualifications and employment opportunities.

The argument is not that scholarships will completely end illegal migration, but that they could help reduce some of the economic pressures that encourage young people to make dangerous journeys.

The small boats crisis continues to create difficult questions for the British government, especially over border security, asylum rules and cooperation with European countries.

While politicians continue debating how to stop people smugglers and prevent dangerous crossings, Allajbeu believes more attention should also be given to helping young people build successful lives before they feel the need to leave home.

His central message is that giving young people a chance to study, work and succeed in their own countries could be an important part of reducing dangerous migration to Britain.