RACE INEQUALITY will get worse if government plans to axe funding for BTEC qualifications – which 37% of black rely on to attend university – go ahead.

Outraged MPs accused ministers of cutting educational opportunities from black and Asian students “in one fell swoop.”

Department for Education plans mean almost 4 in 10 black students would not have gained access to university, experts say.

MPs only got to debate the changes this week because a public petition topped 100,000 signatures.

Special needs headteacher Frances Akinde told The Voice: “They seem to want less and less people from lower social economic backgrounds to go to University. They’re making it harder and harder for people to get in.

“BTECs like sports and business traditionally attracted black children and I think it’s going to be less uptake for black students in A-levels.” 

Research from the Social Market Foundation found that the career-focused and skills-based qualifications rooted in the workplace are crucial for the education of many black students.

The report said: “BTECs are vital for black British children progressing to higher education. 48 percent of black British students accepted to university have at least one BTECS qualification, and 37 per cent go to university with only BTECS qualifications.“

Minister plan to abolish funding for BTECs to pave the way for T-levels instead, and published a provisional list of 160 qualifications that overlap with T-levels and thus get their funding withdrawn. 

Many MPs spoke for the continuation of funding, as some of them have benefited from BTECSs themselves. 

“In one fell swoop, this change will disproportionately cut educational opportunities for black and Asian students, for students from financially disadvantaged backgrounds,” said Labour MP Navendu Mishra during the debate.

It is estimated that in 2021 more than 230,000 students completed BTECs nationals. Funding for BTECS qualifications will be removed in 2024-25 unless ministers u-turn.

Akinde added: “I’ve got two 19-year-old twins; one of them did the traditional A-level route and did really well at that. The other did BTECs in business and sports and did really well. He wouldn’t have been able to cope with A-levels because of the content.”

After the debate, Labour MP Jon Trickett started an MPs petition expressing “concerns about the Government’s plans to cut funding for the majority of BTECS qualifications.”

The government responded by saying: “We will set a high bar for quality and for demonstrating the need for qualifications, particularly if there is overlap with A levels.

“We recognise that some students do not always know what they want to do at 16 and that is why we need outstanding information, advice and guidance to support them to make good choices.”

Last month education minister Michelle Donelan was slammed for putting pressure on universities to ditch their involvement with a race equality charter.

Donelan claimed in a letter to vice-chancellors that the participation within the charter created ‘tension’ with the universities’ mandate to defend freedom of speech.

But Universities in England hit back, accusing the minister of “crossing the line” in her bid to stoke another culture war.

The charter, run by the charity Advance HE, aims to challenge possible barriers to success of black, Asian and minority ethnic students. Most of the Russell Group universities are part of the scheme. 

UCAS data on 2020 offer rates exposed that out of 24 Russell Group Universities, black students are less likely to get an offer for every single institution compared to their white peers. 

Even though there were disparities between black and white students, the government continued to withdraw funding for low-income ethnic minority families.

In 2011 the government abolished the education maintenance allowance (EMA) which was aimed at households earning under £21,000 a year.

Roughly 640,000 students between 16-19 year olds took up EMA in 2009-10 with a disproportionate high number of ethnic minority groups.

By Sarah Danquah