DISADVANTAGED school children who do not want to go to university should be able to access some form of student loan, a Conservative MP has said.
Philip Davies insisted pupils can benefit from loans that allow them to access work experience in big cities and other opportunities that may otherwise be outside their reach.
The Shipley MP said such a scheme could improve social mobility in areas of the country which may offer fewer opportunities than other regions.
Speaking in a backbench debate on educational attainment in Yorkshire, Mr Davies told the Commons: "We give student loans to people who want to go to university and progress their career through a university route.
"And I just wondered why other people who perhaps university wasn't for them shouldn't also be able to get some form of student loan to perhaps allow them to do things like coming down to London to access some work experience placements or something of that ilk.
"I don't really see why student loans should only be for the benefit of the most able and perhaps the wealthiest and most advantaged.
"How about actually giving some loans out to some of the most disadvantaged people in the country to allow them the access to pursue their particular career and give them the opportunities in Yorkshire that perhaps they do get in other parts of the country but we don't in Yorkshire at the moment.
"Social mobility is really what the Conservative Party should be all about, and I think we've got to look much more imaginatively (at that)."
Opening the debate, Labour's Jo Cox said improving education in Yorkshire and the Humber is essential if Chancellor George Osborne is to create a so-called "northern powerhouse".
The Batley and Spen MP described the £20 million earmarked in the Budget for education in the North is a "paltry gesture".
She called on the Government to extend lessons learnt from the successful London Challenge, such as the focus on leadership and collaboration with a positive ethos, and apply them to Yorkshire.
Ms Cox said the Teach First programme to train elite graduates must expand beyond London, where it sends more than 40% of its teachers.
And the National Teaching Service, which matches top teachers to schools where they are most needed, should be rolled out faster and with more focus on the North, she said.
"It's morally right that we act urgently to address this inequity but it is also an investment that will resonate far beyond individuals," Ms Cox said.
"Improving educational attainment in Yorkshire schools is central to the success of the so-called 'northern powerhouse'.
"Sir Michael Wilshaw, the chief inspector of schools, says more attention must be focused on regions where too many schools are languishing in mediocrity and that the northern powerhouse will splutter and die unless under-performing schools improve."
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel