The leader of Bermuda's smallest party has won a degree -- 14 years after he first started studying.

And National Liberal Party chief Charles Jeffers said his Bachelor of Arts in Politics was worth the wait.

Mr. Jeffers signed up for Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, extension courses at Bermuda College in 1984.

But work forced a move to Canada in 1987 and he started studying by correspondence course instead, passing courses in each semester over the following few years.

Along the way, he faxed in course work from places as far apart as Hong Kong, the Bahamas and Nova Scotia in Canada.

And he amassed sufficient academic credits that the university allowed him to complete his studies back at Bermuda College when he returned to the Island.

Mr. Jeffers, 56, said: "Perseverance pays off -- my first course was in the spring of 1984 and my last in 1998.

"When I started, my oldest son was 17. He now has a Masters degree and is manager of information systems with a company in Atlanta.

"My youngest son was only 11 and he is now working in Canada and going to school there. I've also acquired a grand-daughter who was at my graduation ceremony.'' The Canadian American Financial Corporation executive dropped out of Berkeley -- then the only academic school available to black youngsters aged 16 -- after his Government grant was pulled and his widowed mother could not afford to pay the fees herself.

He said: "The main reason I wanted a degree was to satisfy that desire I had going back to my teens.

"And once I got into it, I kept going to show an example to my sons.'' Mr. Jeffers also praised Bermuda College -- where he completed around a third of his degree work.

He said: "What I want to get across to younger people -- and older people -- is that Bermuda College fulfills a very important role for those who want to improve their education but can't go abroad.'' Mr. Jeffers added that Queen's was ranked third among Canadian universities -- and it accepted Bermuda College courses without question.

He said: "This, to me, is a good testimony to the content of education in Bermuda when Queen's and other universities are prepared to accept courses taken there and include them towards a degree.'' Mr. Jeffers added that young Bermudians going abroad to study could drop out due to the lack of the support structure available on the Island.

But he said a couple of years at Bermuda College would help them mature, so they would be better able to cope with the world outside the Island.

Mr. Jeffers added: "Even if they do one year rather than two, it could be a great training ground.'' But he said: "Even if Bermuda College has a four year programme, I would encourage people to send their children away for a couple of years.

"My boys have an appreciation for the real world because they lived in Canada or the US.'' Mr. Jeffers said he had no plans to study for a higher degree at the moment.

He added: "Don't even bother to ask at this stage -- I'm so happy to have achieved what I have, I haven't given any real consideration to going on. But who knows what the future holds?'' DEGREE OF SUCCESS -- National Liberal Party leader Charles Jeffers with his BA degree in political studies, awarded to him recently by Queen's University, in Kingston, Canada.