Pawan Matabadul : at 16, he joins Brunel University

There are so many parents who secretly harbour the thought that their child may be exceptionally gifted. The same applies to the Matabadul family, settled in the UK. They found out through a Nigerian teacher that their only son Pawan had hidden talents when he was around 13 years old. At the age of 16, he is all set to shine at the University of Brunel.

Humble, shy, modest and intelligent, Pawan was very hesitant to talk to us. Still, he conveys the secret of his success and talks about the importance of education. Pawan, a former pupil at The Albany School, Broadstone Road, Hornchurch, showed signs of early maturity, so his parents transferred him to London Brookes College, Hendon, where he completed his GCSEs at the age of 14. He received four A*s in fields such as chemistry, physics, biology and statistics as well as a B in English literature and Cs in English language and Further Maths.

He continued his studies and at the age of 16, he did the A level. Again he passed with flying colours with A* in maths and an A in both physics and Further Maths. It was a really a surprise for the Pawan’s family and surroundings. He is considered as the most consistent person in his class and was even helping his classmates despite being two years younger than them.

The decision of skipping classes was really tempting for him. He experienced some difficulties to adapt but he familiarized himself with academic material before starting his classes, so that  this strategy got him ahead of everyone.

A gifted child 

Rajah Matabadul, the father of Pawan, reveals that once Pawan had informed him he was very intelligent but the father discarded the statement as he thought maybe his son was just joking. “Every child believes that he is intelligent. When he once expressed this idea, I took it very lightly. One day, his Nigerian teacher asked me why I am restricting Pawan to fly high. He encouraged me to let Pawan open his wings and go. I listened to him and enrolled Pawan in a private institution. Now the results are before us,” he expresses proudly.

The father is really gratified and dignified to have a son like Pawan, who is very different from this generation and a very obedient youngster. “He is someone that can handle any course of study. He works assiduously and his excellent results are a proof of it. He has stood by his words. We are extremely proud of him in the family.”  

Nevertheless, despite the delight of his family and scoring highest marks in some subjects, the studious boy feels that he could have done even better and is a bit disappointed of his performance in Further Maths. “Overall, the grades are good. But in Further Maths, I wanted to achieve an A*,” he avers.  His father reveals that Pawan helps his tuition teachers but has not taken a single penny. Pawan believe that education should be free for everyone.

Aerospace studies

The next big step in the young man’s life is Brunel University where he will study aerospace engineering. Pawan has an immense passion for airplanes. Since a tender age, he has been fascinated with this field. Till now, he has viewed all the Air crash investigation videos and he has been using airplane simulations. “I am very much interested in aviation, so I want to learn more about the engineering of planes and how they work. I used to imagine the whole process behind when I see planes flying. I want to be a pilot but have not really decided yet.”

When asked about what he expects at the university, he replies: “I am not expecting too much. It will be a course for three or four years. I will adapt even if all my classmates are older than me. Actually, all my friends are older than me. I get along with them better than with persons of my age. I believe that age is just a number, it’s all about your mentality.”

Mother’s boy

Pawan is very close to his mother, who describes his son as the best boy she could have. “He is very different and till now, we haven’t had any clash. Despite his outstanding results, he has never asked for any gift or insisted that we buy something to please him. He has even asked us not to spend money on him, as he can manage on his own.”

After school, he reaches home and dedicates all his time to his studies. He prefers to roam and be with his family. “He is always on his own. He is the simplest young boy I have ever seen. He wears simple clothes and eats simple food. He loves calamari.” 

Mauritius: Need for a change in education

He feels that Mauritius is still underdeveloped when it comes to education. “The education system here is still lagging behind. There isn’t much career prospects for young people. Not all children have the same capabilities, so there is need to cater for all of them.”  He advises the youngsters of Mauritius to study and to achieve success in exams, to practise as much as they can.