Afternoon All!
This post is in response to a few rants iv been having lately with colleagues and to, well just general discussions at the moment about universities, the press and just their beautiful, wonderful, fabulous ability to distort facts and print complete and utter crap!
Im jumping out of my usual sphere of linking this to my WWII coding project and just passing a few comments and thoughts - hope you dont mind (i wouldnt really care if you did mind but i thought i would be polite).
Last week The Western Mail decided to publish an article regarding the "shocking" story that Universities within Wales (Aberystwyth, Swansea Met and others) all accepted students with 80 tariff points –
two A-level passes – or less in September 2012, basically affording them a place for achieving an E grade or less. Now as someone who reads the newspapers everyday (the fact they're from 70 years ago is beside the point), i'm used to a little distortion and manipulation from the press, depending on your point of view but this article just made my blood boil!
Now naturally some might be exceptionally concerned about the possibility of a slip in standards amongst Higher Education establishments, especially regarding the rise in fees to £9000 a year. The effects of Universities "dumbing down" as the paper so eloquently put it would naturally be a worry for many parents, students and academics alike as it would undermine the very level of education the students hope to achieve, the lecturers want to provide and the education most parents are paying for and want to see a return from (i mean all parents want to see their children flourish with a good job and happy/fulfilling life after uni dont they?) How can high achieving and more naturally gifted students be expected to receive the same high standard of education if institutions such as Aberystwyth are making themselves cater to a set of students who clearly will not be able to cope with the rigorous level of work the University will expect/demand? SO OBVIOUSLY the University is allowing standards to slip
in order to make these students feel as though they
belong....also....grades would lower should these students be left behind.....confidence in the system would
fall.....better make it easier for them to cope and appear to get better grades......
Shadow Education Minister Angela Burns hoved into view with the opinion that these revelations “make a
mockery of entry requirements; this sends out a message that elements of the Welsh higher
education sector have bargain-basement entry requirements, are
dumbing-down and don’t appreciate the value of academic rigour,”
Ahem (excuse me a moment)
WHAT A CROCK OF B***S***
I AM SICK TO THE BACK TEETH OF THIS POLITICAL ARGUMENT THAT BECAUSE YOU DONT HAVE THE CORRECT AMOUNT OF UCAS POINTS YOU'RE CLEARLY NOT CUT OUT FOR EDUCATION AND SHOULD BE SHOVED TO THE BACK OF THE CLASS WITHOUT SO MUCH AS A BACKWARD GLANCE........
(breath breath breath.....sorry about that)
I'm angry on several points:
1.Yet again a newspaper has waded into the fight without actually checking the facts first. The article itself, while establishing a fact that yes, Aberystwyth does allow students to enter its ranks with less than standard UCAS points, the information obtained was completely taken out of context. It did not elaborate upon the fact that this institution takes people who come to University from a variety of different paths - for instance, people with foundation degrees and apprenticeships with no affiliation to UCAS at all, mature students who may not have ANY A-levels (omg they are clearly substandard human beings and should be shot for NOT HAVING A-LEVELS....jeez, i mean having life experience counts for nothing these days....did you lot not get the memo????). Also, Aberystwyth offers the chance for students to attend a highly successful and useful Summer University, helping them to improve their writing, reading and analytical skills in order to prepare themselves for a more rigorous undergraduate degree. I have several friends who help out with the teaching on it and many of them comment on how nice it is to see those students again in following years, knowing that yes, some may have struggled to begin with, but at least they were given the opportunity to improve and to see if Higher Ed was for them.
2. The article also made no mention of the hard work, from both staff and students alike, that goes into helping these students once they have crossed the threshold of the University. I've been teaching here at Aberystwyth now for several months and of course there are students who need a little more encouragement and help to get there than others. Yes, some students realise that Uni isn't for them and that they dont wish to continue. But many staff here work damn hard on behalf of ALL students in a fair and balanced manner, attempting to provide a solid basis of knowledge and confidence which will allow individual students to flourish and grow. To say that they are "Dumbing Down" is an insult to both staff and students alike and the work that does into developing and improving their grades and time on campus every term......
3. WHY DO THE PRESS NOT GET THEIR FACTS STRAIGHT AND EVEN IF THEY DO GET THE BASIC FACTS, WHY WHY WHY DO THEY KEEP TAKING IT OUT OF CONTEXT!?!?!? (breath)
4. This is YET AGAIN another attack on Higher Education by the Press and Government making out that education is only for a select group of people, coming from the CORRECT background and the right path which this Government has so lovingly set out for them. There is no thought for the individual. There is just an idea that because there is a slight drop in grades of SOME applicants that universally across the board, Universities MUST be lowering standards! This is just another example of un founded, ill advised, malicious and politically motivated attacks on certain groups which this Government think "aren't pulling its weight".
It all ties in to general Coalition policy.....if you're not clever or wealthy enough and arnt going to add to the coffers....dont wanna know! If you come from a poor, under privileged background with few opportunities....tough! Ever thought though that someone may be good enough and has just not been given a chance? Ever thought that yes, some people may struggle at school because maybe they might be a little shy? dont work well in large groups and prefer to study alone? that they come from a slightly poorer/run down area where the schools dont have the kinds of facilities that allow them to develop as much or as well as others?....through no fault of their own....maybe they haven't been given the ability to shine yet?!
Reason i'm having a bit of a rant is coz i'm proud to see Aberystwyth's very own VC having a pop back at the press with many of the arguments iv spouted above....and more.
Its nice to see someone standing up and having a shout back, going "UHHHH NO.....dont think so".
Some may call it cynical and poke holes.....some may say "yeh yeh but in practise...."
I dont care! i am proud of this retort and i wanted to share it with you all.
http://www.aber.ac.uk/en/news/archive/2013/01/title-125231-en.html
Have a lovely Friday all.....:D
