"Racist" Oxford
A Labour MP has accused Oxbridge of prejudice and is calling on the universities to do more to widen access, writes Anna Maybank.
David Lammy, MP for Tottenham, made the comments following the BBC2 documentary "Black Ambition" which traced the lives of eight black Cambridge undergraduates. Although Lammy acknowledged that Oxbridge has tried to widen access, he accused it of remaining "tinged with old-fashioned class prejudice". He claimed that the government's proposals for higher education funding, together with a new access regulator, will give universities "the incentives and the resources to properly support students from working-class and disadvantaged backgrounds".
Oxford University figures show that 11 per cent of undergraduate places offered this year were taken by British ethnic minority students. This compares with 17 per cent at Cambridge but ten per cent at Sussex, suggesting that under-representation is not unique to Oxbridge.
A spokesman said: "Oxford University works hard to attract more ethnic minority students. It's true that we don't get very high numbers of black students applying, perhaps because of a false perception that Oxford isn't for them". The University's Access Scheme aims to encourage more students from inner city backgrounds, as does OUSU's Target Schools campaign.
15th Jan 2004