MP argues against ‘social engineering’
Yesterday in the House of Commons, John Baron MP asked the Secretary of State for Business, Rt Hon Vince Cable MP, about university admissions policy. The incoming director of the Office for Fair Access (OFFA), Professor Les Ebdon, has stated that he will penalise financially those universities which do not do enough to attract a student body from low-income backgrounds.
John said,
“Does the Secretary of State agree that the quota policy espoused by Professor Ebdon puts the cart before the horse, and that we should be pushing schools to produce better students, rather than tempering our universities’ freedom to choose students on merit? Otherwise both students and universities will ultimately suffer.”
The Secretary of State replied that Professor Ebdon was not advocating a quota policy.
John said afterwards,
“It is a better policy for schools to raise their game, rather than universities lower their standards. OFFA’s proposal of targets for students from low-income backgrounds smacks of social engineering.”
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