Punishing aspiration — The Browne anomaly

October 12th, 2010 News, Politics No Comment

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Punishing aspiration. We’ve all heard that a lot recently right? Ever since the Lib-Con government spliced its way into power it seems to have been somewhat of a mantra for the coalition.

Critics have called it a way for the Tories to prevent the rich and the super-rich bearing their share of the hit in bringing down the deficit.

Everything is seemingly punishing aspiration — putting up income tax on the super rich, taxing bonuses, making businesses pay more.

And it would seem today those same critics’ argument might have been given some firmer grounding than the purely circumstantial evidence yielded during George Osborne’s emergency budget eg… the VAT rise — our most potent remaining flat tax.

Lord Browne’s review of higher education spending has recommended an overhaul that would see universities charging whatever they liked, up to and over £12,000.

There are safeguards outlined in the report that make sure that talented poor students would be suitably prevented from falling through the net. But what it doesn’t address is those families on middle incomes of between 30-55k — who this is clearly going to hit the very hardest.

Aspiration is an odd thing. For upper middle class families, the people with an income in that bracket 80k plus, their children don’t see University as an option, it’s a stage, it’s mandatory. It’s as much a part of their education as primary school is. They will splutter with indignation at the thought of not gaining a degree.

University isn’t an aspiration for them — it’s going to happen. It’s a fact of life. Generally the notion of paying for education is one they’re used to equally as their parents will have done so throughout their academic careers.

In 2010, it is the students with parents earning 30-55k for whom University is an aspiration. And its an aspiration for several reasons. Probably because their parents didn’t go. Probably because half their classmates aren’t going. Probably because they know it’s going to be very difficult for their family to afford it, especially if they’ve got siblings too.

These are reasons most of the 100k kids won’t understand. They won’t in their lifetimes’ have had to worry about the family’s finances. And their parents should be commended for that — even if they’re from a long line of well-off folks.

But that doesn’t mean the children of people who haven’t made as much money shouldn’t be afforded exactly the same opportunities as those who’ve made or retained a bucket load.

And under this ill-contrived system (not maliciously ill-contrived I should point out, just reprehensibly short-sighted) they aren’t. A handful of poor kids are sprinkled through into the redbricks, but all the middle income kids, the kids for whom University is an aspiration and not merely par for the course — they have to think twice, or opt for the cheaper course.

This policy will cause a bizarre kind of acute social derision. One where, the very average kids from the upper and upper middle classes will be going into the top universities, while their far more able compatriots from middle-income families will be compelled to choose a cheaper education.

There is enough educational inequality in this country as it is. It’s genuinely sickening that children are so staunchly segregated in their schooling via economic, racial and religious lines without it extending into University (not that they are an oasis of equality and cohesion now).

Now I’m not saying Browne had an easy job. University funding needs reforming — but it must not be done in a way that doesn’t stymie social mobility, a good education’s finest trait.

The Tories have used the words punish aspiration a lot since they came to power but they’ve used them as a way to shield the super rich (including many of their front bench) from proportional tax rises to deal with the deficit. And if they go ahead with these recommendations, all those media allegation about “the same old Tories” will have come true — because this truly truly is punishing aspiration.

Here’s Lord Browne’s intro video to the report and you can find the full website here.