It is wrong for the Tories to say we need to tell students that doing Maths and Science is what is best for them, instead of them doing what they want to do. In proposals outlined by the Conservatives, the subjects that they decide to be more established and better for society will be the ones that get the students into better universities by offering them more points. Elite universities such as Oxbridge already hate pupils taking subjects like Media Studies, this just further singles subjects that are more academically established and stigmatises students who are more practical.
We aren't all born with the desire to understand calculus or the galaxy, we all have different career paths. Is it so hard to believe that there are people out there who actually want to do Media? Media was one of the A-levels I took at College, and if you put the proper work into it, like every other A-level, it is not an easy ride. There is theory to it, it isn't just practical, and even the practical can not be done by just anyone. People enjoy different things in life, these types of polices just further show the Tories establishment and traditional attitudes that single out the more creative and innovative people in society.
Why is it for the Tories or Oxbridge to decide that Media is not a 'proper' A-level? Have they actually sat down and done it? Why don't they stop talking from their privileged backgrounds and realise that some people actually really enjoy Media, it is a way of expressing themselves, and they wouldn't trade it for a 'better' education, if it means not being true to themselves. This type of snobbishness and elitism annoys me greatly.
So Tories, stop stigmatising students who don't fit your ideal of a 'perfect' student, and start to realise that not everyone wants do be a theoretical wizard, as, where would we be without the media anyway?
2 comments:
I think you actually understate the problem. It has often been observed that one of the effects of putting science on the national curriculum as one of the subjects that had to be taught at GCSE stage was that interest in science at A-level drifted away. The problem, it seems, is that by insisting on teaching to the test instead of encouraging students to explore their own interests, many of the ones with a genuine interest had had their interest sapped by the time it came to A-level stage.
If this Tory plan is implemented I suspect it will mean fewer talented people doing science at degree level. Four years of sitting in classrooms full of people with no interest in the subject is enough to drag anyone down.
Thanks for the comment. I am sorry if you feel I understated the problem, but I felt like I was pretty explicit with what i was aruging. Anyway, your comment is arguing exactly what I was saying, so I agree with it. There needs to be more ability for students to choose what they want to do, instead of being told what to do.
Exactly, I mean this is just another way of making students have to do things that fit in with the tradition to get into universities that are more likely to get them into good careers. It is all backwards, and does little to help social inequality.
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