SINGLE mum Christine Banda has a hectic life bringing up four children, aged between two and 14.

But, as if 40-year-old Christine doesn’t have enough to contend with singlehandedly looking after her young family, she is also studying for a degree at the University of Bolton.

It means that when she is carrying out domestic tasks such as cooking and ironing, her ipad is never far away, so she can use every minute possible to learn.

This determination to succeed and graduate in the summer has now been rewarded.

Christine, who was born in Africa and is now a British citizen after moving to the UK to start a new life in 2003, has been recognised as ‘outstanding’ at a ceremony in the City of London.

She was one of five students from universities in the UK to be named as a finalist in the Worshipful Company of Information Technologists (WCIT) Outstanding Information Technology Student Awards.

The awards were created to recognise outstanding undergraduate and postgraduate IT students within the UK.

Christine, who is in the third year of her Computer and Website Development (Hons) degree, was invited to the WCIT’s 103rd Business Lunch in the stunning Wax Chandlers’ Hall.

Criteria for the award included academic excellence, overcoming adversity, entrepreneurial skills, and contribution to charity or community.

Christine has four children living at home in Manchester – Maxine, aged two, Nathan, nine, Celine, 10 and Frank 14. A fifth – David, aged 18 – is himself studying for a marketing degree at Birmingham University.

She said aged between two and 18 and has worked hard to fit her studies around looking after her family.

She initially studied for a Health and Social Care degree, but felt that because of her passion for computing and website creation she wanted to change direction.

Christine said: “I have four children to look after as a single parent and it is a real challenge to fit studies around that.

“But I have managed it and I am here to try I inspire other mothers who feel that they may have missed out on education that it can be done.

“It needs hard work, passion and organisation, but it is possible. Education and learning is so important.”

Christine initially began studying a Health and Social Care degree, but had a passion for computing and website creation and decided to see if she could change courses.

She said: “I had the passion, commitment and skills to study a different degree, but I did not have any academic qualifications in computing.

“Changing courses meant that I had to do a Foundation year. So I did that and then after the first year of my three year degree course I took a break as I became pregnant with my youngest child.

“Once she was born, I spent some time at home with her until she was eight months old and then I returned to university to continue years two and three of my degree.”

For the WCIT Awards, 12 universities selected a candidate and provided a written citation in support of their nomination.

Individuals from five universities made the final: as well as the University of Bolton, there were students from the University of Hertfordshire, Imperial College, London,

Oxford University and Royal Holloway, University of London.

The judging panel included the WCIT’s Master, Lady Parmley (Wendy); the Master of the Worshipful Company of Educators, Dr Lis Goodwin and the City of London Alderman and Sheriff, Vincent Keaveny.

Christine said: “Being presented with the award was amazing. Travelling to London to collect it was amazing – it was a fantastic day.”

But despite her taste of the high life, Christine is still firmly focused on making sure she graduates with the best results possible in the summer – and that means working hard.

“If I have a lecture in the morning I make sure I am in university all day to study and do my work in the afternoon, as obviously I need to take care of the children,” she said.

“Even when I am at home cooking or ironing I will make sure I take the opportunity to read about a particular subject to help with my studies. I have to fit in my learning whenever I possibly can.

“At first I found the course really challenging, as I was learning everything from scratch.

“I want to tell people that being a mother should not be a barrier. It absolutely can be done. It needs hard work, passion and organisation, but it is possible.

“Education and learning are so important; your capacity for thinking changes completely.

“The University of Bolton has been very good and opened my eyes to a different world.”