Education

How Education May Be Changing for the Better

Recently, the UK has stopped funding students who do not achieve a pass in GCSE Maths and English. Also, students who do not get at least two grade E’s in A level will not receive funding either. As you can imagine, this turned the world upside down for many people who care about education.

At first, I was surprised myself. After all, this decision will hit the poorest students the most. Amongst those who fail GCSE Maths and English, over 50% of them come from poorer backgrounds.

On top of that, we have to factor in that not everyone gets the same quality of teaching. Some areas in the UK attract less talented teachers and, as a result, breeds poorer standards.

I was a poor student myself. I came from an underprivileged home with many of my early years jumping from bed to bed as my mother struggled to afford rent.

The first school I ever attended had racist teachers that left me out of fun activities. And when I moved school, my teachers often told me I would amount to nothing. So, I had every chance to fail my GCSEs and even worse, end up in prison.

So, when I hold my position to support the government in this decision, do not think it is coming from a privileged civilian. I was amongst some of the poorest students in my school and came from a broken home.

By right, I should be angry at the education system for how it treated me and my peers. Nevertheless, I disagree with the comments made by some of those who work in education.

In this article, I would like to address the concerns of those who are upset about the decisions. Then, I will express why I believe it is a step forward, not a step back, for education.

Why This Decision Should Raise Concerns

Before I speak on why this is a step forward, I believe the decision should raise some concerns. And they should be addressed with clear reasoning. Although I am in support, I do not think enough clarity has been given to the general public.

Many people are calling it classism and a means to hold the poor back. However, if that were the intention of those making the decision, then we would be entering some bad times.

So, here are three major concerns that have been raised.

Poorer Students Will Be Hit by This

The biggest concern is poorer students, and I share this concern too. They tend to receive lower-quality education and live in areas that discourage school.

As highlighted, poorer students are more likely to fail their GCSEs and A-levels. When you are in an environment that tells you education does not mean much, then of course you are more likely to fail.

Although this should be a concern, students who fail their GCSEs do not often go onto higher education. It is a small number of students who pursue a degree after failing core exams. And we would expect this as student interest would have to be low if they failed.

Now you could say that the student may have just needed extra support. But, I do not know one school which does not offer extra support for students.

Also, with the rise in technology, students are finding better ways to revise. Thanks to teachers having YouTube channels and creating websites, there are many free ways students can learn.

Yet, this comes down to the ambition of the student. And this leads me to the next point.

It Will Lead to a Lack of Ambition

For many years, we have understood university to be an opportunity to open the doors for many. Unfortunately, setting a cap on this may lead to a lack of ambition.

After all, they are told they can not amount to anything. So, how does a cap for student loans help make them feel welcome? It only makes things harder leading to a lack of ambition.

But I believe this is one of the weakest arguments against this decision. We see universities setting grade requirements for every single course. The top universities expect outstanding grades, and we have never pointed at them for limiting ambition.

You may say that grades and student loans are different, and they certainly are. But for years, students in STEM fields are expected to perform well in difficult subjects. And where does their ambition come from? Is it coming from their desire to receive student loans for university?

The reality is, students and humanity have shown that when the bar is raised, they can rise to the occasion. Recent studies have even shown that students from lower economic backgrounds who apply for top courses like medicine tend to do better or at least as well as their peers.

Ambition has very little to do with your student loan. It actually may have more to do with scholarships and funding. And these things help disadvantaged and poorer students.

Funny enough, universities expect you to get good grades to be eligible for funding. Nevertheless, we do not point at scholarships and say they are limiting ambition. In fact, they do the opposite. So, why is it different here?

A Reduction in Jobs for Education

I think that this should be one of the larger concerns for education. Most students who fail their core subjects often go on to study degrees that do not have stringent grade requirements.

These include:

• Art
• Music
• Gaming
• Acting

Once again, many of the top universities will require a minimum of a C grade in core subjects to enrol. So, my point still remains that this is not a requirement that is new for students to get into university. In fact, many Colleges in the UK expect a C grade in these core subjects to move onto A levels and diplomas.

Due to this, I do not believe we will see much reduction in jobs. However, universities that take on lower-performing students will experience less intake.

Much concern is voiced here because it will shrink the economy. It will also lead to many students struggling to get the degree they need to get a job.

However, universities have an obligation to ensure that students have good job prospects. Unfortunately, for many of these courses and universities, the opposite is true.

Many students with these degrees leaving poor institutions struggle to find jobs. To make matters worse, many do not end up working in the field they have studied because there are no jobs. And that does nothing for the economy but waste government spending.

So, I can certainly see the reasoning behind why these sorts of degrees for failing students should be in question of funding.

The Hope We Should All Have

Although I do not wish to swing anyone onto my side of the argument, I hope you can see why this decision is reasonable. It is not from a place of malice but a place of good reason.

Most students in university need to pass Maths and English to get a place on their course. And most universities and jobs ask for this requirement already. Also, many students who fail their GCSEs do not tend to go onto university anyway.

However, I think there is hope for us in this decision. Fifteen years ago, when schools offered less, this decision would have been outrageous.

But advancements in society have given students better opportunities everywhere. And with those better opportunities should come regulations to advance society.

Some will say that decision holds people back, but it pushes us forward. As our knowledge in society grows, so should the ambitions of our students. And that means I envision a society one day where no one fails their Maths and English exams.

If the goal of education is to truly produce intellects that go into the world and create a better society. Then we should constantly be pushing to make our students better. And there is no better way to do that than raise the bar as knowledge becomes more accessible.

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