Impact on the Browne Review for disabled students

[CEJesson]

Hello all,

 

I'm just wanting to gauge opinion on today's publication of the Browne Review on Higher Education and the effect it may place on you, or whether this will have heightened impacts on students with Autism. Ive done some commentary on this within NUS at the moment but am wanting to hear views among parents, and indeed students with Autistic Spectrum Conditions.

 

Regards,

[call me jaded]

do you have a link to the review?

[KezT]

do you have a link to the review?

 

The full review

 

BBCs "At A Glance" Summary

 

I doubt that any of my kids will be able to go to uni

 

The concept that we should start all our best and brightest off in life with a debt the size of a mortgage is just absolutely bonkers IMO

[Bluesbreaker]

Am I allowed to go deep politically in a reply or not? cause i don't want to waste my breath if i can't if ya get me....

[CEJesson]

Am I allowed to go deep politically in a reply or not? cause i don't want to waste my breath if i can't if ya get me....

 

I suppose you can write what you think about this as long as it is within the forum rules!

[call me jaded]

Go for it bluesbreaker! As long as you don't defame anyone by saying something that isn't true.

[CEJesson]

This is what I posted on another forum a few weeks ago on the day of the Browne Review.

 

My context is that I am a fourth year student who will graduate with a student debt of £28,000 (approx) by the end of this year. I am studying town planning and university is pretty much the only option to get to full chartership. I have to do a 4 year degree accredited by the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPi), plus 2 years full time planning work after finishing and an Assessment of Professional Competence (Study log and 5,000 word essay) before I am a full chartered Planner. For me this constitutes as a strong way of treating university in the proper way and strongly endorse further accredited degrees in the future.

 

I hold two viewpoints. Firstly, I consider there to be too many students going to HE now, and strongly oppose the view that higher education should be free, on the idea that I am willing to pay to get myself higher up the ladder, or specialise in an area of interest and it should be up to me to do that. Going to university is usually on one's own accord and I don't like the idea of us all paying for someone to go based on that choice. I do however, support the more charitable idea of us paying to support people through grants funded through some of our taxes. I consider each to be separate.

 

Despite agreeing paying for HE, I stand by the idea of paying it back when leaving university. I do not agree with the idea that you have to wait until a certain wage before paying it off, for example if you only earn £12,000 as opposed to the current £15,000 threshold in which you start paying you should have the provision to pay it off at a lower rate than the existing 9%. The only exclusion should be if you are not in employment and actively seeking a graduate job.

 

I initially supported the idea of tuition fee rises from the current £3290 but not anything above £4000, a figure always shown to be too low in media speculation. Therefore the suggestions of the Browne Review do not meet with my view and I am instead left baffled at the idea of removing the cap, which will only accentuate an elitist system of University that we once held. How can it be right for a new university to be suddenly cheaper than its Russell Group counterpart? Each University has its excellence in different areas and each should be of equal merit to warrant universal fees.

 

I was quite keen on the idea of a graduate tax as previously suggested but somehow withdrawn in the political struggle. I was more disappointed that the review has not addressed the student numbers issue and instead recommended a 10% rise of places in coming years. Since working in student representation, particularly disadvantaged groups, my argument has always been that even if numbers are cut, the internal proportions of harder to reach groups, such as academically strong lower income background students, disabled students etc can still be increased to constitute as 'widening participation'.

 

The system will still be the same with paying off after leaving so the direct hits will not be that severe unless universities get greedy with external items like accommodation rents and other charges, which has taken place in recent years.

[call me jaded]

It's a real step backwards: elite unis will select on ability to pay rather than ability.

[Bluesbreaker]

This is a bit of a typical Politician Bash come Autistic support.

 

Thing is, this is a farce of a government (still better than none) is a combination of Liberal Democrats and Conservatives, and evidence shows the Conservatives favour middle class ideals and values. Now in the past, How many kids used to get to university from the working classes? not many, why? because the families either couldn't afford it or they couldn't get into the universities due to the administration flexibilities. Along came the Legislation which gave Working class students as well as those with Learning disabilities more opportunities to get into university. This policy has been very successful, However, in a time of economic Hardship, the government decides to cut a few things here and there to save money. this involves uni funding so what have we just created ? basically a regression to the past. Why?

 

Think about it, if there are more and more students each year applying for University and the Universities have limited places due to funding, they are going to be selective, especially the prominant names such as Ox-Bridge, Leicester University, and a few posh jobs in the south somewhere... this means that the working class kids and the Disabled students have less chance of attending as everything rests on the grades which are attained, and with SO many students applying those who have Fantastic personalities and working attitudes but may not be fantastic grade attainers (and come on, grades aint everything you know!) are going to be weedled out, and for many Autistic/ASD and disabled students, they unfortunately can fall into this bracket.

 

I personally don't know Lord 'chocolate' Brownies political affiliation, but I am assuming it may be slightly conservative inclined... If not he may have significant influences from the conservatives (don't argue with me, i have an A level in Sociology!), therefore using this assumption the report is Biased. Lord Browne has basically said 'yeah charge the tripe out of them for going to Uni' which has meant that from now on, unless parents have the best credit rate going to take out 20 loans... then working class kids and the (i would say) majority of Disabled kids won't be going to University, and to me this is a HUGE disadvantage for working class and disabled students who are supposedly supposed to have access to equality in this society.

 

I didn't get to Uni because of the grades i had, for those who know the UCAS points system i got C,E,E or 180 points (something stupid like that) I needed 240 to fulfil the DMU's expectations. However, after making many phone calls around that time many members of staff did say to me that had there not been a High number of applicants as a whole to the Uni then it may have been possible that they would have enrolled me....

 

I just feel that again, The disabled are at a gross disadvantage.

 

N.B: I had a thought about the last line too....

 

Perhaps this could lead to more educational staff making gross underestimates on the intelligence and working efforts out in by Autistic Students???

 

food for thought