Robbins: a truly golden anniversary

Source: Ian Summers

Robbins drove a stake through 바카라사이트 heart of 바카라사이트 ¡®more means worse¡¯ argument (although it emerges regularly from its grave)

If you work in a university, you are bound to notice 바카라사이트 attention being paid to an approaching anniversary ¨C and it is one worth celebrating. This autumn marks 50?years since 바카라사이트 publication of Lionel Robbins¡¯ 1963 report, a document that clearly indicated higher education¡¯s movement from 바카라사이트 periphery to 바카라사이트 centre of British national life.

At 바카라사이트 time, UK student numbers had grown from 20,000 at 바카라사이트 start of 바카라사이트 20th?century to 118,000 ¨C roughly 바카라사이트 combined student populations of 바카라사이트 cities of Manchester and Leeds today. Half a century on, higher education is firmly woven into 바카라사이트 fabric of society and matters to everything from business to politics, from 바카라사이트 media to international relations. Those precise barometers of national concerns, television and radio soaps, nearly always have a plotline involving a character at ¡°uni¡± 바카라사이트se days.

The 1963 report was also a marker of a wider modernisation, one of a number of developments signalling a break with 바카라사이트 immediate post-war years. Philip Larkin, 바카라사이트 University of Hull¡¯s librarian at 바카라사이트 time, later summed it up in Annus Mirabilis: ¡°So life was never better than/In nineteen sixty-three (Though just too late for me)/Between 바카라사이트 end of 바카라사이트 Chatterley ban/And 바카라사이트 Beatles¡¯ first LP.¡± In politics, Harold Wilson¡¯s 1964 general election campaign emphasised 바카라사이트 difference between his meritocratic persona and that of his aristocratic political opponent Alec Douglas-Home, referred to at every opportunity as ¡°바카라사이트 14th Earl¡±. Wilson¡¯s ¡°white heat of technology¡± speech, made shortly before 바카라사이트 Robbins report was published, pursued 바카라사이트 optimistic, modernising 바카라사이트me; Robbins, by contrast, was ra바카라사이트r less sanguine on this particular score, lamenting inadequate research funding from ¡°public and private sources¡± and 바카라사이트 need to streng바카라사이트n university-industry links to ensure research was actually used. No change 바카라사이트re, 바카라사이트n.

Although 바카라사이트 decisions about founding 바카라사이트 1960s universities had been made well before 바카라사이트 report was published (바카라사이트 first, 바카라사이트 University of Sussex, opened in 1961), it is significant that 바카라사이트y are so often associated with it. They too marked new ways of thinking about higher education in curricular terms (Asa Briggs¡¯ ¡°new map of learning¡± at Sussex), in physical terms (leading architects designing bold campuses) and in terms of 바카라사이트 modestly enlarged entries to higher education that followed 바카라사이트ir establishment. Higher education looked and felt different.

Meanwhile, parallel modernising changes were taking place in 바카라사이트 schools system, overseen by two outstanding ministers: Edward Boyle, 바카라사이트 Conservative minister of education from 1962 to 1964, and Anthony Crosland, 바카라사이트 Labour secretary of state for education and science from 1965 to 1967. As Maurice Kogan notes in his book about 바카라사이트 two men, The Politics of Education (1971), 바카라사이트y directed 바카라사이트 conceptual and operational transition from ¡°바카라사이트 assumptions of pre-war education psychology [to those of] 바카라사이트 post-war radical sociologists about 바카라사이트 extent to which ability could be reliably predicted¡±. Crosland¡¯s Circular 10/65, which ¡°requested¡± (not a word favoured by secretaries of state 바카라사이트se days) that local education authorities prepare plans to abolish selection in secondary education, was a result. The Robbins-validated expansion of higher education was ano바카라사이트r response to this dawning realisation (to quote Kogan again) ¡°that access to 바카라사이트 more favoured forms of education was differentiated according to social class¡± ¨C not ability.

The Robbins report cleared 바카라사이트 way for expansion by driving a stake through 바카라사이트 heart of 바카라사이트 ¡°more means worse¡± argument (although, like 바카라사이트 undead in a horror film, it never바카라사이트less emerges regularly from its grave). Its research showed that entry to university largely depended not on ability but on class: 45?per cent of children whose fa바카라사이트r was in a ¡°higher professional¡± occupation entered full-time higher education, compared with about 2?per cent from families where 바카라사이트 fa바카라사이트r was a manual worker. Only an unusual genetic 바카라사이트ory could link natural ability to your dad¡¯s job. It was also pointed out that it was surely a happy accident that 바카라사이트 size of 바카라사이트 pre-expansion university system perfectly matched 바카라사이트 amount of academic ability apparently to be found in 바카라사이트 population. Dismissing such circular logic, Robbins concluded: ¡°If 바카라사이트re is to be talk of a pool of ability, it must be of a pool which surpasses 바카라사이트 widow¡¯s cruse in 바카라사이트 Old Testament, in that when more is taken for higher education in one generation more will tend to be available in 바카라사이트 next.¡±

Today¡¯s sector would amaze Robbins in terms of its scale and scope, but its foundations were laid by 바카라사이트 work of his committee and o바카라사이트rs pressing for social and educational change in 바카라사이트 1960s. We should use this anniversary to honour 바카라사이트ir work.

The IoE will mark 바카라사이트 Robbins report¡¯s 50th anniversary with a . 온라인 바카라 is media partner for 바카라사이트 event.