Education System of Britain
According to the research of Oversea Education Center (2000), is that “Education in the United Kingdom (UK) is compulsory for everyone between the ages of five to sixteen. ” This mean that no one left behind in their system that everybody must be in school to learned and participate. I believed that the learning and participation of students would require equality in the school system. Does the school system can provide this equality to all students? I know that this problem has been existed on other countries.
Is the system in Britain practices equality or inequality still persisting? This essay will explore on the educational system in contemporary Britain acting to decrease or increase social inequality highlighting current issues. Equality Impost Britain’s Government partnered with Sutton Trust funded by Peter Lampl tried to make the education system as equal as possible by making “new scheme aimed at giving talented children of all backgrounds access to quality education”.
They are pronouncing that all can access this mean more to the poor that will be given the chance to develop their talents and able to have an education they wanted. There are striking findings from domestic and international survey that the English education is improving. But while average standards in education in the UK are high, the traditional problem of inequality, and especially with the educational outcome and social class, remain very strong pointed out by David Miliband (2003). Inequality Increased
The problem starts young: as early as 22 months according to pioneering research of cognitive ability of very young children. At the age of two poor show advance but was overtaken at the age of 6 by the rich family and will maintain its advancement at the age 7-11. But more social differences can be seen in secondary level as Leon Feinstein (2003) demonstrated. On the other hand, University system practice inequality that affected most of the poor from remote areas that wanted to avail the opportunity that offered by millioner philanthropist and the Britain’s government program.
John O’Leary, Education Editor (2000), reported that “Almost half the entrants are from independent schools and only one in 25 comes from the poor neighborhoods identified as sending fewest students to university. Barely one in ten is from a working class home. ” The universities still practice elitism in their university depriving most of the poor students. Thinking that students coming from the independent school have more advantage since they have all the good facilities they need to learned to their full potential compared to the students coming from the public schools.
The increased in Social inequality is more observed reported by John Clare, Education Editor (2000), he stated in his report that Eleven top universities accused of state bias, this was supported by the research gather “It estimated that every year 3,200 pupils from independent schools gained a place at a top university to which, statistically, they were not entitled. ” There bases in accepting entry is on predicted grades rather than A-level grades. This apprehended the schools of sending pupils to avail the opportunity.
The statistics that John Clare emphasized is a clear indication that social inequality is increasing in Britain’s educational system. Remarkable evidence which was also sparked by Gordon Brown condemning Oxford College in rejecting a teenager Laura Spence that elitism in Britain’s top universities are still practiced despite the campaign by Mr. Lampl giving opportunity for all and providing all the necessary materials needed by the students just to discover and develop their talent to the full potential.
A writer Ben Russell (2000) wrote the description of Mr. Lampl as a “scandal” the current situation where children from poorer backgrounds accounted for 50 per cent of the school population but only 13 per cent of the entry to top universities. He further added that University inclined more on constructing building and research instead of finding youngster from inner cities and other deprived areas.
In respond to the allegation that universities practice social inequality lots of school, the university answered as presented by Ben Russell “they say the students are not applying and they are not coming through. I suggest there’s some truth to that but our universities has to become much more pro-active by going out and selling themselves to the schools. ” This response of universities to the founder is not acceptable by some public schools who tried hard to let there students enters to the top 13 universities and avail the opportunities offered.
Another finding that inequality is increasing in Contemporary Britain researched by Jeremy Lovell (2005) “The results show that social mobility in Britain is much lower than in other advanced countries and is declining,” and it was suppported with Co-author Stephen Machin said “low income groups were trying to manage to keep pace with middle income, but the gap between middle and high was widening rapidly and those in the very top bracket were accelerating out of sight. ” This issues is the result of inadsequate education policiy and globalization which was entrenching wealth inequalities acrross the world.
The effect of this are fewer graduates from the poorer community landed on a good job in the market. (Lovell 2005). More evidence reveal by Julie Hyland(2004) “Britain: social inequalities widen under Blair government”. This is because of the government policy that imply from welfare reform through to privatizing key services. That was before abandoned by Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) (1994) which established a “Commission on Social justice” that sought to redefine measures of social inequality, that used to give justice to labor and leaved the traditional social reformist programmed.
The factor to this issue is the polarization of “class and wealth” this giving more chance for the riches to make more shares and in facts doubled in 1999. (Hyland 2004). The IPPR demonstrate that social inequality means that “the UK education system continues to experience high levels of geographical segregation,” the reports states. “At any time since 1989 around a third of children living in poverty would have to move to schools in wealthier areas for there to be an even spread of poor children between schools.
” The poor students tried hard to make them avail what the rich students have but the system has failing on looking this issues. The results can also be seen in the record obtain by deprived schools that lower records attaining in education compared to better-off areas. The writers further added (Hyland 2004), “Examining the period since the early 1980s as a whole confirms that a class bias in entry and success within higher education remains and has even grown. ” If more students from higher class can enter into universities and few from lower class there is no improvement in the educational system.
The data prove that in “1981, 23 percent from high-income backgrounds obtained a university degree, and only six percent from lowest income and it increase by 37 percent in 1999. ” If this will not give importance to changes in the educational system inequality would be double in the coming years. The worst evidence that the educational system in Britain’s social inequality is the case of Pamela Relf reported by Tania Kent (2000) that inequalities not only happening in the poor students striving to be successful but to a teacher itself.
Pamela Relf was the longest serving teacher in the Middlefield primary in St. Neots, Cambridge shire. Only she failed to report on the first day of service in the new term felt very bad that she instead drove a river near her house and end her life. She left a note telling that “I am finding the stress of my job too much. The pace of work and he long days are more than I can do. ” Not only Pamela Relf but had another teacher hanged himself Daniel Overfield and a boy who is 12 years old. All the issues concerning the schools work performance and these terrible incidents have common social roots.
Tania Kent described as the outcomes of two decades of attacks on public education by the former Conservative government, which have been continued and deepened under Labor Prime Minister Tony Blair. Since Labor took office in 1997, schools have had to confront the highest levels of state intervention ever experienced within the public education sector. The aims of prime Minister Tony Blair is to lift the standards by publishing the results in “league tables” that the pay also of a teacher was based on their performance that ties teachers’ salaries to pupils’ test exam results.
The system was able to create stress both to students’ and teachers’ that resulted on tremendous death of the three victims that hardly cope up the challenge. The system is failing that castigation is focused on the part of the teachers. The stress given to teachers made the other teacher to leave their job. The researcher Tania Kent further exposed that Association of teachers and Lecturers (ATL) in the conference discussed a report warning of an increase in pupil suicides due to the pressures resulting from what the union termed “factory farming” teaching.
It is very alarming that 35 children aged 14 and below committed suicide in Britain in1997. These are due to stress and pressure to pass the compulsory test. The issues making pressure both the teachers’ and students’ damage the emotional and mental capacity of each individual and these will result to a more poverty and of course increase inequality in educational system in Britain. Moreover we cannot blame that Black graduates do not want to become teachers within a racist education system.
Deborah Gabriel (2006) an author on Black Britain acknowledge one of the lecturer Sonia Davis, said that a senior lecturer in education at De Montfort University and spokesperson for the African Forum for Education believes that recruiting more black teachers without making radical changes to the education system is pointless. ” She further stress out to Black Britain that out of around 1000 trainee teachers in the first year of a teaching programmed, not one is black.
The reason for the lack of interest, she asserts is: “A damaged system. Black teachers can see the trauma experienced by black pupils and many do not want to be in that situation. ” All the weighted issues above would still be increasing and never stop if these were not given immediate actions. The damaged that have been done will increase; the action should be now we will not wait for another victim for this social inequality in Britain educational system. Conclusion
The above issues would if not be given consideration the educational system increases the social inequality and part of it is the difference between the ethnic groups in their social profiles and by their geographical concentration in inner-city areas with poor education provision. This subject of inequality was very much to the forefront of the debate on education. But there were high hopes that education would make for greater economic and social mobility and thus lead to reduction in inequalities.
The continues support of the different agency especially the Sutton Trust that give opportunities to poor families and continues expansion of public-sector with the little cost to families has been entailed would greatly helps decrease the social inequalities in Britain’s educational system. References Clare, John 2000, “Eleven top Universities Accused of Sate Bias”, Viewed 8 January 2007, <http://www. psychology. nottingham. ac. uk/sutton/Reports. htm>. Gabriel, Deborah 2006, “Black graduates do not want to become teachers within a racist education system” Black Britain Online, viewed 8 January 2007, from <http://www.
blackbritain. co. uk/news/details. aspx? i=2340&c=Education>. Hyland, Julie 2004, “Britain: Social Inequalities widen under Blair Government” viewed 8 January 2007, <http://www. wsws. org/articles/2004/aug2004/pove-a19. shtml>. Kent, Tania 2000, “Suicides reveal impact of government attacks on Britain’s education system” viewed 8 January 2007, from <https://www. wsws. org/articles/2000/apr2000/suic-a26_prn. shtml>. Leon Feinstein2003, ‘Inequality in the Early Cognitive Development of British Children in the 1970 Cohort’, Economica (Vol. 70, No. 1)
Lovell, Jeremy 2005, “Social Inequality entrenched in Britain” Viewed 8 January 2007; <www. social inequality entrenched in Britain. htm>. O’Leary, John 2000, “Elitism in Universities”, Viewed 8 January 2007, < http://www. psychology. nottingham. ac. uk/sutton/Reports. htm>. Oversea Education Center 2000, “British Education System”, Viewed 7 January 2007, <http://www. oecth. com/uk/the_British_education_system. htm>. Russel, Ben 2000, “Universities Need more Cash to Widen Access”, Viewed 8 January 2007, from <http://www. psychology. nottingham. ac. uk/sutton/Reports. htm>.
