Don’t squeeze out the middle classes to make way for disadvantaged students, says Education Secretary Damian Hinds
- Damian Hinds denied access schemes would mean less well-heeled applicants
- He said all those with ‘the talent’ should be admitted ‘regardless of social class’
- It follows calls for elite universities to admit more disadvantaged youngsters
Damian Hinds (pictured) denied suggestions that ‘widening access’ schemes would ultimately mean fewer well-heeled applicants on degree courses
Top universities should not squeeze out the middle classes to ‘make way’ for disadvantaged students, the Education Secretary said yesterday.
Damian Hinds denied suggestions that ‘widening access’ schemes would ultimately mean fewer well-heeled applicants on degree courses.
Instead, he said all those with ‘the talent’ should be admitted, ‘regardless of social class or background they come from’.
Mr Hinds’s comments came as he renewed the call for elite universities such as Oxford and Cambridge to admit a higher proportion of disadvantaged youngsters.
The universities have been under intense political pressure to ‘diversify’ their student body following accusations of elitism.
But Mr Hinds said: ‘This is not about saying have fewer children from any one particular background.
He added: ‘It needs to be about if you’ve got the ability, if you’ve got the talent.’
Mr Hinds’s comments came as he renewed the call for elite universities such as Oxford (pictured) and Cambridge to admit a higher proportion of disadvantaged youngsters