Inclusive Education

The nineteenth-century reform process in Britain led to the establishment of new universities and colleges to cater to the needs of burgeoning industrial urban centres. During that time, Oxford and Cambridge underwent changes, both voluntarily and through acts of parliament. By 1900, changes such as the removal of "family, school, regional, and religious restrictions" (Berdahl, 1959, p. 34) in the fellowship and scholarship systems, and the admittance of women made Oxbridge education more inclusive. An "open competition" for a few scholarships, recommended by royal commissions to aid students from the working classes, was instituted. However, the open competition, which tested attainment rather than aptitude, disadvantaged students from charity schools. "Few bright lads with an inferior charity-school background could compete successfully for scholarships, even against mediocre rivals, when the latter had been taught in the charmed atmosphere of the 'public schools' ..." (Berdahl, 1959, p. 36). In 1907 the Bishop of Birmigham made an attempt to appoint another royal commission for Oxford and Cambridge, "in order to secure their best use for all classes of the community" for he felt that they have been allowed to become "a playground for the sons of the wealthier classes" (Parliament Debate, as cited in Berdhal, 1959).

Who enters our institutions today? Who will enter tomorrow?

• Berdahl, R.O. (1959). British Universities and the State. In G. Lenczowski & E.B. Haas (Vol. Eds.), University of California Publications in Political Science (Vol. 7). Berkeley: University of California Press.