Growing up, I can honestly say that most of my teachers were very good and were in the profession to help their students. But some seemed to become educators so they could exert control over others – the Dolores Umbridges…
Between the 1st and 3rd of December, 58 universities across the country faced industrial action by the Universities and Colleges Union (UCU). 33 institutions went on strike over the “four fights” (Pay, Equality, Workload and Casualisation) and a dispute over pensions, while…
The number of top grades awarded reached an all-time high this year as 44.3% of students achieved either an A* or A in their exams. The A-Level results from this year have commonly been described as ‘inflated’ due to the…
Importance of universities Science and higher education are some of the UK’s strong points. Higher education earned the UK £10.71 billion in exports and, according to the Nature Index, the UK ranks fourth worldwide in terms of research output. This…
The power of education should be obvious. In developing countries, getting all children, especially girls, into primary and secondary education is a key category for a country’s social progress. Yet, where education has long been universally available, it is too easily…
One of the most striking effects of the pandemic has been rising levels of education inequality. Missed school and slow adoption of virtual learning has meant a significant attainment gap has emerged in schools. Disadvantaged children have suffered most. But…
Jasneet Samrai is the Deputy Director of Centre Think Tank, a think tank and pressure group that supports a comprehensive welfare system alongside free markets. All views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily represent Backbench’s stance.…
On the 6th of January 2021, Education Secretary Gavin Williamson announced that all GCSE and A-level exams would be cancelled for the 2020/21 academic year. Announcing his plans to the House of Commons chamber, he stressed that the government would…
Whilst this past year has undoubtedly been disruptive for everyone, I can’t help but feel that Covid-19 has caused university students to have an especially scarring and tragic experience. If you look past the headlines of “lockdown fences” being erected…
The cost-cutting mechanism of the market, extended to institutions of learning, has proved disastrous when combined with the pressures of the pandemic. Universities, whose funding is contingent upon raw student numbers, have presided over a wellbeing and financial crisis of…