Social exclusion at Oxford and Cambridge universities
In what seems to have become a regular double-act, both George Pascoe-Watson and myself are quoted in a story today from PR Week:
On the eve of the crucial Commons vote on whether to raise tuition fees by up to £9,000 a year at top universities, official data has shown that over 20 Oxbridge colleges made no offers to black candidates for undergraduate courses last year and one Oxford college has not admitted a single black student in five years…
[Mark Pack] said: ‘These figures do highlight how important the issue is, and I think it has some relevance, but the real issues about social exclusion in the education system kick in at a much earlier age.
‘If you start from the point of view of asking “how do we address this problem?” – you can’t simply look at post-18 financial arrangements.’
Congratulations for recognising that the problems of under-achievement in securing university places are caused by poor schooling (and poor nurturing). Of course, if schooling were restored to standards of yore then many would be able to make their way in life on the back of their school education, and it might become possible to consider fee free education at university for those with the real aptitude for a demanding academic degree. Moreover, the only discriminator would be ability – not race or background that correlate with access to good education presently.