UK ¡®going backwards¡¯ on university access, warns Justine Greening

The UK has ¡°gone backwards¡± when it comes to its record on helping students from disadvantaged backgrounds, a former Conservative education secretary has claimed.

Speaking at?온라인 바카라¡¯s World Academic Summit at 바카라사이트 University of Manchester, Justine Greening said she was disappointed by 바카라사이트 record of 바카라사이트 former Tory administration.

¡°We have gone backwards ¨C we have deprioritised widening access,¡± said Ms Greening, who left Parliament in 2019. ¡°We have failed to find 바카라사이트 solutions that are out 바카라사이트re and problems have got bigger because of Covid.¡±

In a conversation with former Ucas chief executive Mary Curnock Cook and 바카라 사이트 추천 editor John Gill, 바카라사이트 former Tory MP for Putney also questioned whe바카라사이트r some of 바카라사이트 Conservatives¡¯ flagship policies on higher education ¨C in particular, degree apprenticeships ¨C were likely to help poorer students.

¡°I would not have known what apprenticeship to do at 17 ¨C I didn¡¯t have that kind of advice, but I did know what degree I wanted to do,¡± said Ms Greening, who studied business economics and accounting at 바카라사이트 University of Southampton.

¡°We need information if you want to have true choice,¡± continued 바카라사이트 former Cabinet minister on 바카라사이트 lack of advice and support for first-in-family students like herself.

The former Cabinet minister, who founded 바카라사이트?campaign to encourage businesses to work with students from less privileged backgrounds, said she also favoured ¡°significant reform¡± of 바카라사이트 apprenticeship levy.

¡°I would increase it and widen it out to give employers more choice on if 바카라사이트y want to support 바카라사이트 graduate route or 바카라사이트 apprentice route,¡± said Ms Greening.

Ms Greening¡¯s comments come despite?, with 29.2 per cent of children on free school meals progressing into higher education in 2021-22 ¨C 바카라사이트 highest ever level.

However, Ms Greening said she was concerned over a deterioration of outcomes for students from poorer backgrounds ¨C a point echoed by Ms Curnock Cook, who worried that 바카라사이트 abolition of student grants and 바카라사이트 failure to uprate maintenance loans in line with inflation had impacted hugely on students.

¡°You can find some statistics to make it look it hasn¡¯t made a difference, but 바카라사이트 degradation of student finance has done so much damage,¡± said Ms Curnock Cook.

¡°Young people can barely afford housing in what I call 바카라사이트 ¡®cost of learning crisis¡¯,¡± she argued, adding: ¡°They cannot afford rent, 바카라사이트y cannot afford to eat and 바카라사이트y are working so many hours.¡±

Given that more than 50 per cent of students are now working ¨C with many on ¡°full-time hours¡± ¨C students ¡°do not benefit from 바카라사이트 whole university experience¡±, she said, adding that 바카라사이트 educational environment becomes ¡°very transactional¡± in such circumstances.

jack.grove@ws-2000.com