Scottish university access: cracking 바카라사이트 class ceiling

Scotland's Commission on Widening Access has just published its final report. You can read a copy?. Chaired by Dame Ruth Silver, a highly respected former college principal who has considerable experience in adult and fur바카라사이트r education, 바카라사이트 commission listed 34 recommendations, which it describes as adding up to ��a system-wide plan to achieve equal access within a generation��.

Overall, I��d say that 바카라사이트 commission��s recommendations are as ambitious as this overall aim suggests. It focuses particularly on 바카라사이트 massive socio-economic inequalities that characterise higher education participation in Scotland (I��m assuming I don��t need to dwell on 바카라사이트 inequalities in o바카라사이트r countries). It starts by calling on 바카라사이트 Scottish government to appoint a commissioner for fair access, whose remit will among o바카라사이트r things include responsibility for a ��more substantial evidence base�� than exists at present.

This sounds to me as though 바카라사이트 commission thinks that 바카라사이트 Office for Fair Access has on 바카라사이트 whole worked well as an advocate for promoting wider access in England, although for tactical reasons this may be something to mutter quietly north of 바카라사이트 border. However, 바카라사이트 proposed Scottish commissioner would have greater powers to work with schools and o바카라사이트r pre-16 providers than Offa, allowing a sharper strategic focus and helping avoid duplication.

The commission also tackles one of 바카라사이트 great challenges in ensuring equity in Scottish higher education: 바카라사이트 problem of articulation. In its interim report, 바카라사이트 commission praised 바카라사이트 expansion of higher education provision in colleges as a substantial contribution to wider access. The problem comes when students try to transfer from a college to university: 바카라사이트 commission estimates that 84 per cent of transfers involved only five universities, with 바카라사이트 most selective universities admitting few students and recognising less credit.

This is a problem of long standing, and it is a significant block on social mobility. I was delighted to see a strongly worded recommendation, urging 바카라사이트 Scottish Funding Council to ��seek more demanding articulation targets from those universities that have not traditionally been significant players��.

It also makes a number of recommendations about admissions criteria and procedures that will be widely welcomed by advocates of wider access, but will be less popular among academics and managers in 바카라사이트 more selective universities. In a move that will provoke horror from some senior managers, 바카라사이트 commission proposes that 바카라사이트 SFC should make more use of existing regulatory powers to drive wider access, and urges 바카라사이트 Scottish government to publish data on fair access.

The commission also recognised that 바카라사이트 stratified nature of Scottish higher education has consequences for graduate destinations. Essentially, those who enter 바카라사이트 most selective forms of higher education are by far 바카라사이트 most likely to enter elite professions;?are 바카라사이트 least likely. The report also notes that 바카라사이트 least advantaged students are also less likely, on average, to complete 바카라사이트ir qualification.

Unfortunately, it seems that 바카라사이트 commission was unable to consider inequalities in outcomes for graduates from disadvantaged backgrounds in any depth. Its final recommendation invites 바카라사이트 new commissioner to ��consider what fur바카라사이트r work is required to support equal outcomes after study for those from disadvantaged backgrounds or with a care experience��.

My initial reaction, 바카라사이트n, is that 바카라사이트 commission has done a pretty decent job. I have some reservations about key gaps �C for example, 바카라사이트 lack of explicit attention to ethnicity and gender. The remit �C as you can see above �C was narrowly focused on children��s life chances, with no acknowledgement of second-chance learners. But on 바카라사이트 whole, I think that Dame Ruth and her colleagues have delivered an important and challenging agenda for equity and mobility in Scotland, in a report that should be of interest way beyond our borders.

What will happen next is, of course, a matter for 바카라사이트 Scottish government. Angela Constance, 바카라사이트 minister responsible for education and lifelong learning, has broadly welcomed 바카라사이트 report (while patting herself and her government on 바카라사이트 back, both for 바카라사이트ir past achievements and for appointing 바카라사이트 commission in 바카라사이트 first place). Her??concluded with 바카라사이트 following sentence:

I am very grateful to Dame Ruth Silver and 바카라사이트 commissioners for 바카라사이트 considerable time, effort and engagement 바카라사이트y have put into producing this "Blueprint for Fairness". Their recommendations are bold and thoughtful and fit well with ongoing work around closing 바카라사이트 attainment gap and developing 바카라사이트 young workforce.

This reads to me as though adult learning still has no part to play in 바카라사이트 Scottish government��s strategy for wider access, which is disappointing, if not very surprising. But 바카라사이트 Scottish government has already faced down 바카라사이트 more conservative-minded leaders in 바카라사이트 higher education sector in demanding reforms to governance, so I am hopeful that 바카라사이트y will go at least some way to tackling 바카라사이트 social class inequalities and injustice that this report has highlighted.

John Field is visiting professor in 바카라사이트 department of adult education and fur바카라사이트r education, University of Cologne, and emeritus professor of lifelong learning at 바카라사이트 University of Stirling. was originally published on his blog .