"The government has appointed former Labour minister Alan Milburn to monitor its progress on a series of indicators, including whether top universities are allowing enough state-school educated children in. He told the BBC: "Sadly, we still live in a country where, invariably, if you're born poor, you die poor. Just as if you go to a low-achieving school, you tend to end up in a low-achieving job."" - quote from the BBC news site.
I agree wholeheartedly with the sentiment that lack of wealth shouldn't be an obstacle to those with the aptitude for university. Neither do I support the government hiking up tuition fees to exclusionary levels similar to those charged in the USA.
However, it is a little worrying that a former MP doesn't seem to know what 'invariably' means. Coming from a poor background makes you more likely to be poor throughout your life, sure, but there are always going to be exceptions who manage to escape from poverty. There is enough bias and spin in media and government debates about wealth inequality and equal opportunities already without an experienced politician, who should know better, unnecessarily making things worse.
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