A week ago, it was reported that the UK Government had plans to make some changes to the funding to higher education by reforming the way student loans are distributed.

The changes were that students who didn't get a 5 in their Maths and English GCSE would not be entitled to a student loan, in an attempt to dissuade them from going to university and studying for 'Mickey Mouse', aka "useless", degrees.

This proposal is classist for a number of reasons. To begin with, it is common knowledge that those from disadvantaged backgrounds fail their Maths and English GCSEs at a much higher percentage than their peers. Data from 2019 GCSE results show that 38% of disadvantaged pupils failed English and Maths. Only 22% of their wealthier peers did the same.

Those wishing to improve on their situation by going to university or simply wanting to pursue their ambitions there, with at times 'Mickey Mouse' degrees, will be sorely affected by the proposal. Not being allowed to take out a student loan will undoubtedly stop them from going to university, as the average £9,250 annual undergraduate tuition fee or living expenses is unaffordable for disadvantaged students, let alone the average working class one.

Not only is the proposal classist, it's also ignorant. It is difficult to get a 5 in Maths. Getting a 5 in the 2019 Edexcel GCSE Foundation Maths paper was to get 76.6% of the paper, which is very, very hard. From my own experience in 2021, only a small amount of my peers got a 5 in Maths. 

The student loan changes also ignore the contextual entry requirements many universities offer, in which a student will be accepted if they get grades lower than the normal entry requirements for many reasons, including if they come from a disadvantaged background.

Overall, the proposed changes to student loans will do more harm than good. It is incredibly classist and unfair, and will lead to less students pursuing their dreams, and the poverty gap widening.