All schools in England should channel university scholarships to their poorest pupils, the deputy Liberal Democrat leader Simon Hughes has said.
Linking scholarships directly to schools and colleges would motivate children, he said.And this would end the situation where some schools sent no pupils to university.
This was one of 30 recommendations made by Mr Hughes in his final report as champion of university access.
He was asked to help promote higher education to poor pupils after MPs voted in December to raise tuition fees in England.
Mr Hughes was one of eight Liberal Democrat MPs to abstain (or be absent) in the vote on fees, while 28 Lib Dems voted for the changes and 21 voted against.
He had been among those warning that poorer pupils could be put off from applying to university by the trebling of the cap on tuition fees.
From 2012, universities in England will be able to charge up to £9,000 a year for undergraduate courses.
At a press conference launching his report, Mr Hughes said the next six months would be "crucial" in terms of preventing the rise in fees from putting off poorer students - and that close monitoring of the situation would be needed.
"I'm trying to be pragmatic, to change something from being a significant risk to the least risk," he told reporters.
"Fighting a battle of last year in the next six months will not be helpful.
"Otherwise youngsters in flats in Old Kent Road [in Mr Hughes' south London constituency] will still be put off."
Motivating youngsters In his report called Advocate for Higher Education, he said his most important suggestion was that scholarships should be offered through schools.
Simon Hughes MP Advocate for Higher Education
Under the planned National Scholarship Programme, starting in 2012, students from poorer homes (with an income of less than £25,000 a year) will be eligible for annual awards of about £3,000 - and the current plan is for these to be allocated through universities.
Mr Hughes said poor youngsters should be told about the scholarships at 15 and would then apply for the funding - and university - a year or two later."It would motivate youngsters at age 15 to realise that, not only is university an option, but secondly that for some of you, financial help is available," Mr Hughes said.
Other recommendations for schools included starting careers advice at primary school, better guidance for teenagers - including guaranteed face-to-face advice from experts - and the linking of every school to at least one university.
The careers service in England is being changed and critics have said there is a danger some secondary school pupils will only have access to online guidance.
Schools' achievements on careers advice should be tracked by Ofsted, said Mr Hughes.
'Disappointing progress' As for universities, he said many had made "great efforts" to widen access in recent years but the "huge progress of many" had been balanced "by the disappointing progress of some of the most academic and prestigious universities in the land".
He said universities should do more to encourage people from poorer backgrounds in to medicine, dentistry, veterinary science and architecture.
There was a danger that the length of such courses - and the costs involved - could deter poorer applicants, he said, leaving such professions to the children of people already in them - or "those who do not have to worry about money".
Mr Hughes called for stronger powers for the watchdog on university access - Offa (the Office for Fair Access) - which can take action against universities which do not do enough to attract students from poorer backgrounds.
He said although Offa was able to impose a fine of £500,000, there was a "get-out" clause for universities which should be closed by a change in the law.
'Warm-worded but toothless' University groups have largely welcomed the report, especially the drive to reach children at a younger age. Universities UK says institutions have been working hard to widen participation and "in some cases are already making progress on areas recommended by the report".
Groups representing teachers and students said the government was putting up barriers to higher education by increasing tuition fees and cutting the Education Maintenance Allowance paid to poorer teenagers.
Liam Burns, president of the National Union of Students, said the report was "warm-worded but toothless" at the end of a year "which has seen access to education curtailed".
It will now be up to the government, as well as universities and schools, to decide whether to act on Mr Hughes' recommendations.
Universities Minister David Willetts said: "Education is key to transforming lives, delivering social mobility and securing our nation's future. So we agree with Simon that young people must be supported in making well-informed decisions on university entrance, apprenticeships and other opportunities."
0 comments:
Post a Comment