Richest students to pay for extra places at Britain's best universities
Following on from the discussions about Higher Education over the last few days, I was shocked and horrified to hear about the proposal (on Radio 2's Jeremy Vine Show) that extra places could be made available to students able to pay even larger course fees (up to £28,000) up front. In other words, buying themselves a place at Uni.
I took it all with a fairly large pinch of salt but then tracked down the original interview that sparked the debate. You can read it here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2011/may/09/universities-extra-places-richest-students
Today, also reported in the Guardian, Downing Street have apparently distanced themselves from the idea but, and this is the significant point, I believe, "No 10 did not rule out a limited version of the idea appearing in the university white paper, due this summer, but stressed that no proposal would be backed if it reduced social mobility."
I just can't believe that they would even think about a return to the elitism of University places being available to those who can pay. How is is possible that in only 13 years, we have moved from free education to tuition fees of £1000 a year to tution fees of £9000 a year to the possibility that there will be extra places for the rich kids.
We just can't let this happen!
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It demonstrates two things clearly: the utter poverty of political thought in the UK where the only mechanism for change ever seriously considered is the supply of cash; the loathing that one sector of the community has for sharing its aggragated wealth via the tax system.
I suppose that when one term at Eton (Cameron) or at Westminster (Clegg) costs around £9000, some leaders find it difficult to understand that this may be a daunting sum for a less well-heeled student to take on for a whole year. Od course, £28000 for a year, as the speculation above mentions, is roughly the same as a year's fees at a 'decent' school.
Of course, my objections are merely the politics of envy. On the other hand, it sometimes seems to me that envy is a rational and understandable response. It's curious that when those-without respond in a manner that those-with don't like, it's envy. When they respond in a manner that is approved of, it's being appropriately motivated.
Anyway, I have always loved the saying attributed to the (American) lecturer Derek Bok, 'If you think education's expensive, try ignorance.'
One of the reasons for the 'hermit' part of my internet moniker is that I'm so disgusted with the way this country has been regressing ever since the T Woman got in that I do my best to turn my back on the whole heap of shite and ignore it. Not very constructive, maybe; but at my time of life I'd rather try to enjoy what time is left to me than get all wound up about things I can't realistically change. Of course, now I'm retired and in the country I can do this even better.
Well, at least they can't go back to sending children down the mines. They've closed them all....
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