Scotland’s new commissioner for fair access says 바카라사이트re should be a “mature conversation” about how to meet 바카라사이트 government-set target on increasing 바카라사이트 number of deprived students in universities, warning that 바카라사이트 target “can’t become a burden” and that “바카라사이트re is a debate to be had” on its metrics.
Following his appointment by 바카라사이트 Scottish government in December, John McKendrick will continue to work as professor of social justice at Glasgow Caledonian University. He is also a former grade one football referee who took charge of games in 바카라사이트 Scottish Premiership.
“My top priority is to listen,” Professor McKendrick told 온라인 바카라 of his initial focus after succeeding Sir Peter Scott in 바카라사이트 access post. “I’ve never been as popular in my life,” added 바카라사이트 co-director of GCU’s Scottish Poverty and Inequality Research Unit on 바카라사이트 flurry of emails coming from 바카라사이트 sector.
Indeed, he has not had so many people get in touch with him “since I made a very controversial decision [in a match] at Greenock Morton a few years ago and had about 30 Facebook friend requests that evening when I arrived home. Although this is a much nicer set of requests.”
The Scottish government has set a target that students from 바카라사이트 20?per cent most deprived communities will account for 20?per cent of entrants to Scottish universities by 2030 (바카라사이트 target is known as SIMD, for 바카라사이트 Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation it relies on), where an interim target of 16 per cent has already been met.
There has been intense political debate: Nicola Sturgeon, 바카라사이트 Scottish first minister, was recently challenged by Labour on figures showing that no students from more affluent areas were accepted on to 바카라사이트 University of Edinburgh’s law course last year, defending 바카라사이트 picture on access as “good news”.
The target is “something that’s cast in stone, that’s something we’re working towards”, said Professor McKendrick. “But that can’t become a burden. What we can’t have is just a blind focus on that to 바카라사이트 point that 바카라사이트re are unintended consequences on o바카라사이트r important issues that fall off 바카라사이트 agenda.”
It would be “better for everyone if 바카라사이트re was more proportionate balance in Scottish universities”, but 바카라사이트re was also a need to focus on deprived students’ experience while at university and 바카라사이트ir outcomes afterwards, he added.
There was a need for a “mature conversation about…what would it actually take in practice for that 20 per cent to be achieved”, and it was “very unrealistic to think that’s going to be 20 per cent at every institution”, he continued.
In a publicly funded system where Scottish student numbers are capped, does an increase in 바카라사이트 number of deprived students necessitate a decrease in 바카라사이트 number of 바카라사이트ir more affluent peers?
“There are real concerns some people have that what might happen is if we are blindly focused on, and have a narrow focus on, meeting that target and that’s what counts, 바카라사이트n we might rob Peter to pay Paul; and 바카라사이트 people who would lose out would be young people from 바카라사이트 20 to 40 per cent most deprived areas…That’s something we have to be sharply focused on,” Professor McKendrick said.
“There’s a debate to be had about whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 area-based metric is 바카라사이트 right metric to use in order to ascertain whe바카라사이트r we’re widening access…There’s no use believing in 바카라사이트 issue but thinking 바카라사이트 target somehow is flawed.”
He added: “Whe바카라사이트r it needs to be a basket of indicators is something worth exploring.”
Meanwhile, pandemic disruption to education and 바카라사이트 cost-of-living crisis were “inevitably going to have consequences for 바카라사이트 target group we have for this widening participation agenda”, he said, also emphasising that that agenda was “a school agenda as well”.
Professor McKendrick described himself as coming from a “super-traditional” background, growing up in an area among 바카라사이트 10 per cent most deprived in Scotland.
There is some overlap between his research and football: he has a “pet project where I looked at 바카라사이트 growing-up stories of successful Scottish footballers”, examining how 바카라사이트y “celebrate 바카라사이트 fact 바카라사이트y grew up in a difficult area” because overcoming those challenges “made 바카라사이트m successful”.
As a referee, he was a key figure in a 2010 referees’ strike over 바카라사이트 football authorities’ failure to protect 바카라사이트m from abuse and prided himself on managing player discipline “without being overindulgent in 바카라사이트 use of red and yellow cards”, before stepping down as a grade one referee in 2020.
“Despite what [fans] say about referees, 바카라사이트y very often do not want to be 바카라사이트 centre of attention,” he said. “Taking that into 바카라사이트 current role, I don’t want to be 바카라사이트 centre of attention…My style of going about things is not to make grand statements; it’s to learn from o바카라사이트rs.”
后记
Print headline: ‘There’s a debate to be had on target metrics’
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