Betrayal of our young people

Educational unfairness must end

EDUCATION IS at the very heart of Yorkshire’s ability to forge ahead and realise its economic potential, both in the short- term and far into the future.

Our region’s businesses need a highly- skilled workforce, and our families need to know that their children have the best chance of building rewarding careers.

But both businesses and young people are being held back by glaring inequalities in education that demand to be addressed by the Government as a matter of urgency. The necessity of doing so is only underlined by the economic challenges that lie ahead as a result of coronavirus.

The scale of the betrayal suffered by young people in the north is laid bare by the new report by Onward, a think- tank of Conservative MPs, which exposes the disparity in the numbers going to university in our region, compared with their counterparts in the south.

This amounts to a picture of opportunity denied, with areas including Hull,

Barnsley and Doncaster sending less than a third of pupils into higher education.

The reasons for this have less to do with individual ambition or intellect than the deep- seated inequalities the North has long suffered in terms of economic growth and household income.

This deeply damaging state of affairs must end. Boris Johnson has committed to levelling up the economy and addressing the disparities between north and south. Onward’s report reveals just how much needs to be done in terms of investment in education.

That the report is the work of the Prime Minister’s own MPs makes it more likely to receive a sympathetic hearing in Downing Street, which is to be welcomed. It is also illustrative that if the Conservatives are to hold on to northern seats, they must act on inequalities. Young people cannot be denied the chance to build successful lives.