The Torygraph gets worked up about University Challenge.
Apparently, it "stands accused of neglecting undergraduates in favour of teams stacked with "ringers", in the shape of mature and graduate students".
I have news for them, most mature students are undergraduates and there are now more of them than the kids straight from school. This cliché ridden attitude is of piddling significance in terms of prejudice about Higher Education, but it is symptomatic of the stereotypes that stand in the way of those of us who want universities to be open, inclusive institutions for the whole community and they inform the most crass decisions of government. Wake up. The world has changed - though not enough.
3 comments:
Pete; I have to say that there looked to be a distinct "ringer" in the team of a certain Russell group univ from my part of the world a couple of years back. I always cheer for the Open Univ. anyway. Isn't the problem with this show that they tend only to have a certain type of college on? Too much Footlights College and not enough of Scumbag University, if you remember the Young Ones. Mind you, I don't think that "Daddy's got a Porsche" would win 10 points from Paxo. Even if he did "send hugs".
Yes, we definitely want first timers who are absolutely uncontaminated by higher education in any way, shape, or form. And none of these nasty ELQ students.
Can I make it clear that when I say a "ringer" I'm not talking about a mature student or anything like that. I think it went a bit further than that and as I am aware that libel lawyers read these things for fun I'll leave it there. BTW can someone technically gifted get the University Challenge bit of the Young Ones onto Youtube, or would that be of dubious legality? Just about the whole of Blackadder is on now.
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