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GAP BETWEEN RICH AND POOR REMAINS IN TOP UNIVERSITIES

People from low social economic backgrounds are still being badly under-represented at British universities, a worrying report by the National Audit Office has found. The NAO reported that “people from lower socio-economic backgrounds make up around one half of the population of England, but represent just 29% of young, full-time, first-time entrants to higher education”.

It also found that newer universities like Liverpool John Moores and Hope University were on average much better at achieving widening access than leading Russell Group universities, of which the University of Liverpool is a member.

Tory MP Edward Leigh, who chairs the Commons public accounts committee, said, “it is disappointing, if somewhat predictable, that the newer universities are having more success than Russell Group universities in broadening access. There is an incomplete picture on which initiatives to widen participation work. But the biggest concern is the inadequate advice and guidance for people who have the ability to progress to higher education, but think ‘university isn’t for the likes of me’.”

Liberal Democrat universities spokesperson Stephen Williams said, “After 11 years of a Labour government, little progress has been made on widening participation.
It is the poorest people who are still the least likely to even apply to university.”

The NAO report called for a more rigorous assessment of progress towards the aim of opening universities up to students from poorer backgrounds and the creation of a single source of information for potential students. The report finished by saying universities that performed badly in widening access should face sanctions.

However, England’s Higher Education Minister, Bill Rammell, said the report showed progress was being made. New government figures showed university participation in the bottom four socio-economic groups had increased from 17.5% to 19% between 2002 and 2006, he said. “This clearly demonstrates that the breadths of activities that the government has put in place are working.” However, the question remains whether a 1.5% increase in four years is anything close to an acceptable level.

The report is also likely to strengthen the argument not to increase university tuition fees in the 2009 review, with many people arguing that increased fees will simply deter even more students from poorer backgrounds from attending university. In 2004 the vote in parliament was so close the government came within just 5 votes of defeat, something Tony Blair has since said would have resulted in his resignation. Today, the governments majority is nearly 100 less than in 2004 and Gordon Brown is unlikely to want another scrap with Labour backbenchers amidst his continually dismal popularity ratings, giving the NUS an advantage in its fight against the lifting of the fee cap.

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