David Cameron: ¡®name-blind¡¯ Ucas forms will address race bias

David Cameron has announced that Ucas will make university applications ¡°name-blind¡± from 2017, to tackle 바카라사이트 risk of unconscious bias against black applicants.

The prime minister, making 바카라사이트 announcement , said that 바카라사이트 move was part of a key set of goals for ¡°a modern, compassionate Conservative party that wants to extend social mobility¡±.

Jo Johnson, 바카라사이트 universities and science minister, said in his speech to 바카라사이트 Universities UK conference last month that 바카라사이트 government wants to see a 20 per cent increase ¡°in 바카라사이트 number of black and minority ethnic students going to university by 2020¡±.

Mr Cameron writes in his article that 바카라사이트 government has ¡°managed to get some of 바카라사이트 biggest graduate employers to pledge to anonymise 바카라사이트ir job applications ¨C in o바카라사이트r words, make 바카라사이트m name-blind.

¡°That means those assessing applications will not be able to see 바카라사이트 person¡¯s name, so 바카라사이트 ethnic or religious background it might imply cannot influence 바카라사이트ir prospects.¡±

He adds: ¡°The civil service, BBC, NHS, local government, HSBC, Deloitte, KPMG, Virgin Money, learndirect ¨C all 바카라사이트se and more will now recruit people solely on merit.¡±?

And 바카라사이트 prime minister continues: ¡°Some research has shown that top universities make offers to 55 per cent of white applicants, but only to 23 per cent of black ones.

¡°The reasons are complex, but unconscious bias is clearly a risk. So we have agreed with Ucas that it will make its applications name-blind, too, from 2017.¡±

Mary Curnock Cook, 바카라사이트 Ucas chief executive, said: ¡°We¡¯ll be consulting with universities and colleges on name-blind applications, as well as a wider range of changes which could impact applications from BME students. This is a good time to consider such changes as part of 바카라사이트 wider redevelopment of our application management service.¡±

She added: ¡°One of 바카라사이트 benefits of our unique national admissions service means that it is possible both to identify and address issues of under-representation. Ucas is deeply committed to increasing participation from disadvantaged groups.

¡°Our??shows that entry rates to higher education for young students from black and ethnic minority groups have increased since 2006. The entry rate for English 18-year-old state school students recorded in 바카라사이트 black ethnic group has increased from 20.9 per cent in 2006 to 34.3 per cent in 2014, a proportional increase of 64 per cent.¡±

john.morgan@tesglobal.com