Ɖ Obzrvr vy on radicl ćenj biyñ nīdd t oṿcm ilītizm in edyceśn
(Transcription of an Observer editorial of 4 Dec. 2022)
In actñ az a cnveyr blt t ɖ most sòt-aftr jobz, mni scūlz śut ǎt mor ebl yuñ ppl
Súnde 4 Dsmbr 2022
Meṛtocṛsi z wn v ssayti’z most pǎrfl miʈs. It z cumḟtñ t b’liv w liv in a fer wrld ẃr ppl r rwordd fr a mixćr v taḷnt n eḟt. Bt Britn rmenz an ilītist cuntri in ẃć a soṣ́li straṭfaid ejceśnsistm funlz ɖoz born t priṿlij intu ɖ hîist-steṭs jobz, ẃl holdñ bac ćildṛn born t peṛnts hu hv nvr beṇfitd fṛm sć oṗtyṇtiz.
So Cir Starmr’z plej t rmuv ɖ ćaritbl steṭs v prîṿt scūlz, n rqîrñ ɖm t ćarj VAT on fiz, z a welcm muv. Jst 7% v ćildṛn atnd prîṿt scūlz. Yt prîṿtli edycetd yuñ ppl mc p olmst wn in ʈri unḍgrajụts at ɖ cuntri’z most s’lectiv yṇvrṣtiz. In ɖ jobzmarcit, ɖ figrz r īvn wrs: tū-ʈrdz v ɖ sīńr jūdiṣ́ri wr prîṿtli edycetd az wr six ǎt v 10 sivl-srvis prṃnnt secṛtriz, mor ɖn haf v dipḷmats n mor ɖn for in 10 sīńr mīdia editrz. Ɖs z nt a product simpli v ɖer rw abiḷti, bt olso v ɖ vast rzorsz ɖt g intu ɖer edyceśn, ɖ sośl cnx́nz n fevrz it opnz p n ɖ uɖr formz v culćṛl capitl it indǎz.
Prîṿt scūlz criet sośl harmz. In actñ az a cnveyr blt t ɖ most sòt-aftr jobz ɖe śut ǎt uɖr, mor ebl, yuñ ppl hu lac ɖoz advantjz. Ɖe crīm yuñ ppl fṛm dispṛporśṇtli aflụnt bacgrǎndz ǎt v ɖ stetsistm, ẃć hz a neġtiv impact on atenmnt fr evrwn els. It z roñ in prínsipl ɖt ɖz scūlz śd acru ɖ taxbeṇfits v ćaṛtiz.
So it z rît ɖt Lebr hz rīstetd its 2017 maṇfesto cmitmnt t end ɖer ćaritbl steṭs, a pṛpozl olso flotd bî Mîcl Gov ẃn h wz Cnsrṿtiv edyceśnsecṛtri. Bt az far az meźrz t crac ɖ ilītizm v Britn’z ejceśnsistm g, it z ferli incṛmntl. It wd rêz £1.7bn, an amǎnt dworft bî ɖ oṿol edyceśnbujit, n d litl t unpic ɖ advantjz v a prîṿt scūl edyceśn.
T combat iniqoḷti in ɖ ejceśnsistm, ɖr r bigr fiś t frî. Ʈri- n for-yir-oldz fṛm sm v ɖ most dis’dvantijd homz – 80% v ɖoz in ɖ botm ʈrd v ɖ incm distṛbyśn – r intîtld onli t 15 aurz v fri edyceśn a wīc f ɖer peṛnts d nt mīt eliɉbiḷti rqîrmnts fr mor fri aurz, ẃr-az ɖoz ɖt d gt axes t 30 fri aurz a wīc. Ɖs z an astoṇśñ sośl injustis gvn ɖ impact hî-qoḷti rli-yirz edyceśn cn hv fr ćildṛn fṛm les aflụnt bacgrǎndz, ampḷfaid bî ɖ fact ɖt fundñcuts fr rli-yirz pṛviźn hv hd ɖ śarpist impact on ɖ purist eriaz.
In ɖ stetscūl sistm, ɖr rmenz tù mć s’lex́n – bʈ xplisit, in ɖ form v gramrscūlz, n bî ɖ bacdor. Ẃr ɖe stl xist, gramrscūlz r dispṛporśṇtli doṃnetd bî ćildṛn fṛm mor advantijd bacgrǎndz, wɖ peṛnts ofn peyñ fr prîṿt tyiśn t s’port ɖm ʈru ɖ 11-plus. Ćildṛn fṛm lo-incm bacgrǎndz d wrs on aṿrij in eriaz ẃr ɖr z s’lex́n at 11. Gramrscūlz śd ɖrfr b aboliśt. Bynd ɖt, ɖr z tù mć s’lex́n bî poscod; ɖ bst-pformñ comprihnsivz r līst lîcli t axpt ćildṛn fṛm dis’dvantijd bacgrǎndz. Ɖ Sutn Trust edyceśnl ćaṛti esṭmetd in 2017 ɖt livñ nir a gd comprihnsiv add abt 20% t hǎsprîsz. T opn p mor eqitbl axes t ɖ cuntri’z bst scūlz, ćildṛn eliɉbl fr ɖ pyplprīmịm – a gd indcetr v depṛveśn – śd b gvn prîoṛti in scūl’dmiśnz in ɖ sem we ćildṛn in cer r. Far mor eḟt mst b ćanld intu cać-up tyiśn in ɖ wec v ɖ pandemic; xprts fir ɖt unīvn lrnñlos jrñ Covid-19, wɖ ćildṛn fṛm purr bacgrǎndz suḟrñ ɖ most, wl mīn ɖr z a bigr atenmnt gap btwn rićr n les aflụnt ćildṛn in ɖs jeṇreśn. N ɖr nīdz t b far les foc̣s on strucćṛl rform – ɖr z no evidns ɖt ɖ guvnmnt’s acaḍmi rformz hv dn enʈñ t impruv standdz acrs ɖ bōrd – n mor on hǎ t gt ɖ bst-qoḷti tīćrz t scūlz srvñ ɖ most dis’dvantijd eriaz, t avôd tīćrśorṭjz afctñ ɖz eriaz ɖ most.
Ɖ yṇvrṣti sistm in ɖ YC z acdemicli straṭfaid t absrd levlz, wɖ a difṛns v wn or tū A levl gredz pśñ a yuñ prsn twdz a difṛnt insttyśn oltgɖr. Ɖs in trn criets a vri soṣ́li straṭfaid sistm, in ẃć ɖ insttyśn a yuñ prsn atndz z trītd az a śorthand fr ɖer implômnt ptnśl. Az a cndiśn v fundñ, yṇvrṣtiz śd b set mć mor strinjnt targits t rcrūt mor stydnts fṛm dis’dvantijd bacgrǎndz – ɖoz eliɉbl fr ɖ pypl prīmịm mc p jst 2% v admiśnz t ɖ most s’lectiv yṇvrṣtiz, dspt biyñ 13% v ol yuñ ppl. Oxḟd n Cembrij śd b opnd p t a mć mor dîvrs grūp v stydnts – phps bî gaṛntiyñ a ples t ɖ top-pformñ stydnts at evri scūl, or bî xpeṛmntñ wɖ admiśnzloṭriz fr ol ɖoz hu mīt a minimm-gred rqîrmnt fr ɖer subjict. Ɖ taxpeyrsubṣdi ɖt z ćanld t ɖ dispṛporśṇtli midl-clas grūp v yuñ ppl hu g t yṇvrṣti ʈru subṣdîzd lounz, arnd £30,000, śd b xpandd t cuvr ol yuñ ppl rgardlis v ɖ post-18 edyceśnl rùt ɖe ćūz.
Starmr’z plej t impoz VAT on prîṿt scūl fiz z a start. Bt it cd onli evr ple a liṃtd rǒl in aćivñ an ejceśnsistm ɖt opnz p oṗtyṇtiz t ol ćildṛn, rgardlis v ɖ srcmstansz v ɖer brʈ.
