Patten must apologise for quota comment, say students

OXFORD UNIVERSITY students have demanded an apology from their chancellor claiming Lord Patten of Barnes showed a “lack of respect” for state and ethnic minority students when he said “quotas must mean lower standards”. In an interview with The Daily Tele

graph earlier this month, Lord Patten said he didn’t support quotas at universities because “nobody will explain to me how you can make a system of quotas work while retaining the highest admissions standards”.

He also said: “I am in favour of universities recognising their responsibilities for promoting social inclusion, but I don’t think that if you want high-class universities you should expect them to lower their standards in order to make up for some inadequacies in our sec- ondary education system.” In response, a letter, signed by 74 Oxford students and union representatives, said: “You demonstrated a lack of respect for students from state schools and for Black and Ethnic Minority (BME) students, as well as a lack of awareness of how ethnicity and class intersect in secondary education, in the university application process, and while studying at the University of Oxford.

“As students working every day for the interests, rights and welfare of the community, we must demand a full apology for your words, and a demonstration of your commitment to access and anti-racism.”

By way of an answer, Lord Patten yesterday blamed “sloppy writing” for causing a misunderstanding, and said he didn’t hold the “views and values” attributed to him.