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by Nomadic Chris, 22 September 2008
Response to Cambridge University: Social justice not our role
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/09/10/europe/EU-Britain-Cambridge.ph...
In the United Kingdom, the class system, regardless if you like it or not is still in place.
This elitism extends to all areas of society including education. From hearing the news, it does seem that some of the United Kingdom's finest academic institutions wish to maintain a certain degree of elitism in what many in the UK deem "class warfare."
Traditional universities such as Oxford and Cambridge have been embroiled in controversy in recent years with regards to their admissions policies. Traditional elite feeder schools such as Eton and Harrow have long supplied students to these two institutions; it just seems a natural conveyor belt to some lucky enough to attend or send their children to these schools.
This does raise the question; if you are from a state or independent school in the UK, but are academically gifted, surely you deserve the same chance as the richer elite to reach your academic potential?
Sadly, life is not that simple and entrenched elitism hinders many gifted students from Britain's poorer families from going to their first choice universities. A recent example known as the Laura Spence affair first raised this issue to the consciousness of both the government and the general public.
Laura Spence was a pupil at a state school in Whitley Bay in the North of England. In 1999, she applied for a place to study medicine at Oxford. Despite straight As at GCSE level and predicted (and achieved) A grades at A levels, she was interviewed but not offered a place at Magdalen College, Oxford. They stated that others had performed better at the interview. A huge outcry broke out as many felt she was discriminated against due to her working class, state school northern English background. This unfair treatment was highlighted in the media as an example of elitism in the education system. Laura won a scholarship to Harvard and went to study there instead.
Another recent example of the controversial selection process was Matt Parker from a state grammar school who was rejected this year by Oxford University despite predictions that he would obtain five A-grades. He won a £100,000 scholarship to study at Harvard instead.
Both have headed off to the United States; maybe the land of opportunity is more of a meritocracy compared to the United Kingdom; regardless, both have had the opportunity to develop in an elite educational institution. If countries like the UK wish to remain competitive in a globalized world then it is imperative that all peoples from all backgrounds can excel and not be held back or underutilized in any way or they will leave for other places to make their living.
As we all know working hard does not always necessarily guarantee the just rewards in life: Elitism, nepotism and cronyism is prevalent all around the world and in all the walks of life and yes, these days, if you come from the richer elite then certain doors will open for you. That said, everyone deserves an equal chance in life to excel and succeed.
Luckily, there does seem to be more instances of social mobility in the UK then other places in the world. It is hard for anywhere in the world to be truly a meritocracy but education is one area where a level playing field should be established. Hopefully, the controversies over admissions to the finest institutions in the UK will allow for a fairer system in the near future.
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