Welsh students from the most deprived quintile are 25% less likely to get onto full-time undergraduate courses, the rate has fallen by a further 1% compared with 2020/21 according to today’s statistics from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.
Commenting, Welsh Conservative Shadow Education Minister, Laura Anne Jones MS said:
“I am disappointed that there has been no progress in closing the higher education gap we have seen for time immemorial and in fact, we are moving further in the wrong direction.
“The Labour Government have consistently failed to close the attainment gap in our schools, which is clearly having a knock-on effect, with the most deprived children getting onto higher education courses at significantly lower rates.
“Labour have the levers of power in their hands, but repeatedly make the wrong political choices. They can and should properly fund education in Wales, targeting resources to those areas where the attainment gap is greatest. They can start by reversing their recent decision to cut education spending in real terms.”
