Student Soapbox: “the elephant in the room”

Why is no one addressing the issue of inequality at this university? University students have traditionally been some of the most politically active and leftist people in the UK. Yet, it seems that when speaking out about the disproportionate amount of students attending Russell Group universities who come from wealthy backgrounds, students at Warwick University would rather keep quiet. Why are more people not worried about the Southern, upper middle class demographic found at Warwick; indeed, at most elite universities?

Why are more people not worried about the Southern, upper middle class demographic found at Warwick; indeed, at most elite universities?

We speak about being a diverse university, and, despite the wonderful cultural diversity that international students bring, this does not address the wealth issue. It is fair, in most cases, to assume that international students are relatively wealthy, due to the unfairly huge international student fees that they must pay in order to attend.

According to a recent BBC news article entitled ‘Private school pupils keep university advantage’, it was stated that 64 percent of privately educated A-level students got into the most selective universities in 2010-11, against 24 percent of state school pupils.’ This statistic highlights the real, entrenched class system in the UK. Through the superior education that students receive in private schools, wealth educates the children of the wealthy, rather than to improve the nation- wide system of state education.

The ongoing nationwide cuts are hitting poorer areas hard. Oxfam recently spoke out against the government’s austerity cuts, warning that such measures have, and will, further increase poverty and inequality. The rise of student fees will discourage poorer students from attending university. The possible privatisation of the Student Loans Company, which could lead to higher interest rates and a lower cap on repaying student loans if gone through, would be yet another deterrent for poorer candidates.

This isn’t an attack on wealthy students, nor on people who have been privately educated. But if we want to suggest that students get places at top universities purely based on academic merit, we need a change. If we want to live in a country which supports social mobility, we need a change. We need to acknowledge, we need to challenge, and we need to change.