Having listened to the Today Programme this morning and reading the news, l was disturbed to hear the report regarding government’s proposal for post 18s’ education. Today - 23/02/2022 - BBC Sounds (02.39 -03.30)
No English and maths GCSE, no university student loan, plans say - BBC News
Again this has all the connotations of the government declaring what they see fit for society to be educated in and it implies that only within the constraints of their ideals and their ideals only will the government support you with a student loan. Have the department for education taken their eye of the ball and are again passing the buck and their responsibilities to others when it comes to support in schools and then taking control back when it comes to higher education ? Cherry picking?
What support and provisions have they given to schools regarding those pupils that have had difficulty in passing their GCSES'?
Can this be seen as a ruse due to the shortfall in National insurance and tax ?
Having raised the school age to 18, are they are now finding there is a complete short fall regarding National Insurance and tax, and therefore the need is to plug the gap by capping universities and returning people to the workforce whose academic standard they believe is not good enough?
In what way are we now relinquishing power when it comes to higher education? Is this the same quiet undertone we can see with the independent electoral regulator?
Who decided that schools should
no longer invest or focus on the manual skills in the curriculum and instead
focus on technology, academia and university? Due to this short-sightedness, we now have a shortfall
in the skilled workforce and many that have not been academically minded and
technically minded have already been chucked on the scrap heap and stigmatised due to way education was divided in the past. Again, by changing the system there will be a
division within society, the,' have and the have nots', those that can afford the
private additional lessons and those that cannot. Have we
not learnt, and we are heading again for the same pitfall and societal divisions?
Can society ever been seen to value equality when it comes to education and work ?
Is the government again desperate to divide the society instead of ‘levelling up’?
In what direction is our country going?
When it comes to the issue of mental wellbeing, I feel that the government underestimate how this affects the self esteem and confidence of those on lower incomes. When lower income students are accepted at university, it is NOT a ‘rite of passage’ as seen by the higher income bracket household, however the pressure and expectation for all students and families can be the same. In contrast, some 18-year-olds from higher income bracket households would like just to have the educational pressure taken off and work in various manual positions and lesser skilled positions. Is it still the expectation of some generational higher income households that university should be a privilege only afforded to a few and, sadly those who do not think the same can be overruled?
Funding
How can the government say they value a ‘high skilled and highly paid workforce’?· Is this a myth?
Do the government only see the profit and return when it comes to investment of certain groups of people within society ?
Do the government really value the diversity education can bring to make, ’Britain great?’
Look around at all those countries that have invested in education for all ages and abilities and then ask why are we not consistent with our workforce? Is it because of the social divides we still impose?
The mature student.
According to the Office for Students and the report Mature students in England there has been a decline within the mature student population.
Why is there such minimal support given to such an eager and untapped source of talent?
All have experience of life and have contributed in many ways to society, but many were unable to have time to study due to work pressures and families. Why should they not be supported so they can contribute within different work settings which demand a degree ? Why should their personal goals and aspirations be less supported ?
Many wish to go into sectors in which there are shortfalls, (nursing, social care, and teaching) but due to the lack of funding and support are they are no longer able to pursue their vocation. How is that improving our society ?
We live longer, expected to work longer and yet we only have minimal support and limited access to education ? Where is the government support ?
Student finance support is taken away long before the retirement age. Why ? (Another wasted and untapped source.) Why is it that those people wishing to change career or have no pension are penalized due to their age ?
The assumption that everyone has a great pension no longer holds due to the fact that many have lost their pensions through companies mismanagement of pension funds and some have no private pension at all, so why are they no longer able to be supported if they wish to re educate to participate within society? Is that not discrimination?
Disability
Regarding the little provisions that the government have already imposed for those with disabilities, of school age, l do wonder about the continuous tag line of, ‘diversity, equality, and inclusion, within the education system. If they can not get the basic financial support right for those of school age, what confidence should we have that they will be getting the right financial support for those of eighteen plus’ ?
Do the government feel they will not get a good enough return on their money?
Is it the way government, 'stereotype' all of society that leads to our downfall and progression ?
Are we not worth investing in?
Why should any part of society be penalized from attending university if they wish to do so?
How much does this government believe in supporting freedom of education and the freedom of the universities to decide for themselves?
How can we be a, 'diverse and equality led' society?
Maybe the government should rethink again about all those various so-called degrees and courses that they may not think are suitable and, instead of eradicating them maybe the government should be looking at how to incorporate them into a bigger picture of society instead of viewing through a narrow tunnel of vision they have at present.
Can this be what is holding us back as a country?
Education is a basic human right and we should all have the freedom to choose and to be supported. In order to address the balance of living longer and working longer, there must be an understanding that all in society will all need to have some choice and job satisfaction that suits them and not not just the tick box and pigeon hole of what suits government.
Mature students - Office for Students
Mature students in England - House of Commons Library (parliament.uk)
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Hi Hede,
A very interesting post. Not everyone is gifted in Mathematics!
It is sad that some creative people would be locked out of going to university.
Best wishes
Gill