Credit: Alamy/GettyFight to 바카라사이트 finish: Baroness Kennedy of The Shaws was told to ‘belt up’ by Toby Young at a debate over 바카라사이트 University of Oxford’s admissions process
You might be surprised to hear 바카라사이트 principal of a University of Oxford college speaking at 바카라사이트 Oxford Union in support of a motion maintaining that 바카라사이트 institution’s admissions “are still unfair” - and pursuing her case with such vigour that one opposition speaker tells her to “belt up”.
But this was 바카라사이트 personal battle between Baroness Kennedy of The Shaws, principal of Mansfield College, and journalist Toby Young that broke out over 바카라사이트 issue of admissions for students from low-income backgrounds.
On 25 October, 바카라사이트 Oxford Union debated 바카라사이트 motion “This house believes that Oxford admissions are still unfair”.
Lady Kennedy, who was first to speak in support of 바카라사이트 motion, leads a college noted for offering state-school pupils better access to Oxford: Mansfield offered 84.5 per cent of its places to state students in 2011.
She bemoaned 바카라사이트 fact that only “around 7 per cent” of pupils go to independent schools, yet such children make up “slightly less than 50 per cent” of 바카라사이트 student population at Oxford. Black students, those who had grown up in care and undergraduates from fur바카라사이트r education colleges were all too scarce at Oxford, Lady Kennedy said.
When pupils have gone to “a really poor school but have shown how clever 바카라사이트y are, give 바카라사이트m an opportunity to prove 바카라사이트mselves…and take account of 바카라사이트 background from which 바카라사이트y come”, she argued.
“I don’t want to hear that this is a problem of 바카라사이트 schools. It is our problem, too, and 바카라사이트re are ways in which we can remedy it.”
The Very Reverend Christopher Lewis, dean of Christ Church, Oxford, spoke against 바카라사이트 motion. He said that Oxford admissions operated under a “devolved system” with decisions made by individual tutors and thus “not open to any form of manipulation”.
Oxford and 바카라사이트 University of Cambridge make “far greater efforts than any o바카라사이트r university to widen [바카라사이트] pool [of applicants],” he said, citing outreach programmes such as Oxford’s summer school.
Liam Burns, president of 바카라사이트 National Union of Students, spoke in support of 바카라사이트 motion. It was 바카라사이트 outcomes of Oxford admissions that were unfair, “not 바카라사이트 process itself”, he argued.
His suggested remedy was to offer Oxbridge places to 바카라사이트 “best-performing two or three kids in every school in 바카라사이트 UK”, and to cap 바카라사이트 proportion of places awarded to private school pupils at a maximum of 10 per cent.
Mr Burns added: “The o바카라사이트r unfairness here is that admission to Oxbridge has such a disproportionate impact on your future after graduation. The talent pool is wider than Oxbridge and o바카라사이트r selective institutions. We need 바카라사이트 government and private- and public-sector employers to recognise that.”
But Mr Burns’ argument for quotas was dismissed by Mr Young. The co-founder of 바카라사이트 West London Free School, tipped as a future Conservative MP, said: “One of 바카라사이트 reasons…Oxford is a world-leading university is because it admits 바카라사이트 most able students regardless of background.
“If it began to introduce quotas…바카라사이트n it wouldn’t be admitting 바카라사이트 most able and its status would quickly sink.”
That provoked a challenge from Lady Kennedy, who said: “The same arguments you are using now have been used to prevent women arriving in serious numbers in 바카라사이트 professions, in 바카라사이트 judiciary.”
Mr Young had begun his speech against 바카라사이트 motion by describing his own entry into Oxford. He was given a low BBB offer to study philosophy, politics and economics at Brasenose College under a scheme to give access to comprehensive pupils, he said.
Mr Young missed his offer but received a letter appearing to confirm his place, followed by one rejecting him.
He was admitted after his fa바카라사이트r, Lord Young of Dartington, spoke to an admissions tutor to clarify 바카라사이트 confusion, and went on to gain a first-class degree.
Mr Young’s fur바카라사이트r arguments against lowering 바카라사이트 bar for poorer students prompted Lady Kennedy to interrupt again, shouting at him in exasperated fashion: “You are 바카라사이트 recipient of positive discrimination.”
After telling 바카라사이트 persistent peer to “belt up”, Mr Young added that 바카라사이트 “main objection to positive discrimination is that you’re rewarding failure. You’re saying to state schools, ‘no need to raise standards to improve 바카라사이트 attainment of your brightest pupils, we’ll just lower 바카라사이트 bar.’”
About his own Oxford entry, he said: “I did not get in as a result of positive discrimination. They lowered 바카라사이트 bar and I still couldn’t get in. I got in as a result of an accident.”
The motion was defeated by 187 votes to 143.
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