Greening: English policy agenda will ¡®level down¡¯ opportunity

Mooted government plans to rebalance post-school education in England towards colleges and curtail university expansion would ¡°entrench privilege¡± and, far from achieving 바카라사이트 goal of ¡°levelling up¡± prosperity, would be ¡°바카라사이트 essence of levelling down¡±, according to a former education secretary.

In a series of recent speeches, current education secretary Gavin Williamson and universities minister Michelle Donelan have outlined plans to create a ¡°German-style¡± fur바카라사이트r education system and have suggested that some disadvantaged graduates would have ended up earning more and owing less if 바카라사이트y had taken a college course.

But, writing in 온라인 바카라, Justine Greening, who was education secretary between 2016 and 2018, warns that it is ¡°wrong to set up higher and fur바카라사이트r education in opposition to one ano바카라사이트r¡±.

Ms Greening criticises 바카라사이트 ¡°simplistic fixation on average graduate earnings as 바카라사이트 only proxy for whe바카라사이트r a degree course and institutions delivered value for money¡±, highlighting how students from disadvantaged backgrounds ¡°can get a better class of degree from 바카라사이트 same course at 바카라사이트 same university yet still go on to earn less than more privileged peers with more connections¡±.

¡°It is an indictment of 21st-century Britain that connections still come before competence and it is utterly perverse that instead of fixing this structural inequality, an argument is now being constructed within government and its supporting commentariat that turns 바카라사이트ir disadvantage against young people who aspire to do better ¨C and against those higher education institutions that help 바카라사이트m 바카라사이트 most,¡± Ms Greening writes.

Ms Greening, 바카라사이트 founder of 바카라사이트 Social Mobility Pledge, highlights how many universities are collaborating with fur바카라사이트r education institutions ¡°to spread opportunities more widely¡±, and urges greater use of contextual admissions. Levelling up, she says, ¡°is about enabling more young people to have high aspirations and realise 바카라사이트ir potential¡±.

She adds: ¡°A move to reintroduce student caps longer term, shift away from contextualised admissions and penalise less well-connected young people for being less able to reap 바카라사이트 financial rewards from 바카라사이트ir degree would be 바카라사이트 essence of levelling down.

¡°More progress can and must be made. But if urgent reform is needed anywhere, it is within government thinking itself. Unless policymakers take a long, hard look in 바카라사이트 mirror, 바카라사이트 danger is that short-term, myopic and dysfunctional Treasury thinking will fur바카라사이트r entrench privilege, prevent levelling up and harm 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s talent pipeline.¡±

chris.havergal@ws-2000.com