Saturday 28 April 2012

We don't need no education

The chorus from "Another Brick In The Wall Part 2" was always bait to my mother, as though the double negative somehow undermined the message.

I'm in education myself - I'm an engineering lecturer at the University of Plopsaland. Among the students I dealt with this week are two that I will call X and Y, however mathematically clichéd that seems.

Student X is from the Home Counties of England - the largely rather affluent region that surrounds, but does not include, London. X has been an award-winning student since enrolling here. X has a family background that includes other successful career engineers.

Student Y is from some shit-hole just off the motorway.

Student X gave a presentation this week based on a lab experiment done earlier in the trimester. My colleague and I struggled to find anything wrong with the presentation at all. It was one of those rare pieces of work that are worth 100%, or something very close to that.

On the same day, the last day of any teaching before the second trimester exams start, student Y handed in a withdrawal notice. After struggles with attendance and coursework deadlines, Y has decided to throw in the towel, despite being able to salvage whatever he/she can from the second trimester exams and the August resits.

Student X is almost certain to graduate with a decent class of degree with very real career prospects. But it's student Y who really needs it.