Social Engineering?

[mushroom25]

yes, according to Michael Marra, Scottish Labour's education bod -

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-64247475

i don't quite get why he's getting wound up - social mobility is a success story........ isn't it?

[douglas9401]

Previously privileged reject rejection.

There will always be losers, it's just their turn.

[Old_Geezer]

It's the sort of idiocy that's apparently been growing for years now.

Beginning to dislike watching the news or reading papers. It's all about what moronic behaviour some authority is indulging in next.

If one feels folk from deprived areas need a hand, have a separate learning institution that can gear itself to getting students not up to normal acceptance level to catch up.

[Zacs-Master]

"We now have hundreds of ordinary young Scots applying to our top universities who in reality have no chance of getting in,"

And hundreds who now do.

[ZebuSanctuary]

// If one feels folk from deprived areas need a hand, have a separate learning institution that can gear itself to getting students not up to normal acceptance level to catch up.//

Do not assume students coming from deprived areas as having poor academic ability.

[New Judge]

//Do not assume students coming from deprived areas as having poor academic ability.//

So why, before the introduction of this policy, did they have difficulty securing degree courses? Surely, if they were academically capable, they would have got in.

"To qualify for a flag applicants must live in an area within the top 40% of the most deprived parts of Scotland or come from a low attainment state school."

There are also "plus flag"" applicants, which include refugees, care experienced applicants or those from the top 20% most deprived parts of Scotland."

"The figures show more than 1,200 Scottish students applied to study law at Edinburgh in 2022. After the admissions process, 168 plus flag students were offered places as were two with a flag. No one without a flag was offered a place."

Is that very fair? After all, it is no more the fault of the applicants that they were educated in an un-deprived area than it is the fault of the applicants who were educated in alleged depravity.

[THECORBYLOON]

"applicants who were educated in alleged depravity."

I think you have confused deprIvation with deprAvity...

[New Judge]

Thanks Corby but I deliberately chose the inappropriate word because I believe that neither is appropriate in these circumstances. By "deprivation" I think the writer means "has less than others" - which applies to just about anybody.

[THECORBYLOON]

NJ, a specific measure of deprivation is used called the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD).
The factors contributing to the SMID and more information about it can be found here,

www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/media/25536/simdtoolkit.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwj395GTt8f8AhVZQkEAHaziAsUQFnoECAgQBg&usg=AOvVaw0fE7SBam1yY4wjuACMtwZ5