Categories: uncategorized
Date: 11 September 2006 19:58:15
Only slightly to one side on the map is a university.
It is there because of the value Enlightenment thinking put on education. It is there because of the expansion in university education and participation which took place in the UK from the mid 20th century onwards. It is there because a family were prepared to support a student financially, but also because the state provided the majority of funding for my first degree. It is there because there were women, in the late 19th and early 20th century who were prepared to fight for women to be admitted into higher education on the same basis of men. It is there because there was a time when students were more important than funding issues and minimum group numbers & so provision of a wide range of evening classes was the norm. It is there because I was born into an area that had comprehensive education, in an age where all students took GCSE exams & so it didn't depend upon if I passed a test at 11 as to whether I got to gain formal qualifications at 16. It is there because I was encouraged to believe that we all have a second chance if we leave formal education before 18. It is there because I was bought up to value qualifications. It is there because I chose to stick to my BA course when I became pregnant. It is there because I knew how to use the clearing system when my A Levels were not all I hoped. It is there because I chose to study subjects I was interested in. It is there because I have been lucky enough to be born middle class in the northern hemisphere. It is there because I was not afraid to move out of the town in which I grew up. It is there because the definitions of success given in my culture include educational success. It is there because it seemed like the right thing to do. It is there because I am lucky.