STATEMENT
The Muslim Council of Britain welcomes the UK Government’s decision to reverse its previous policy on A Level and GCSE exam results, removing the use of an algorithm which saw nearly 40% of A Level results downgraded. This policy would have hit students from lower socio-economic backgrounds the hardest, according to the exam regulator Ofqual.
Maswood Ahmed, Assistant Secretary General and chair of the MCB Education Affairs Committee said:
“With 46% of Muslims living in the 10 most deprived local authorities, the widely criticised algorithm would have likely had a disproportionate impact on the educational prospects of many young British Muslims. Our young people are the backbone of our society and we must treat them with due respect. Urgent questions must be asked as to why the Government in Westminster, as well as in the devolved administrations, did not identify the problems with the algorithm and take action earlier.”
He continued:
“Before the last general election, MCB urged political parties to adopt ten key pledges, including to ‘ensure a fair approach to educational provision for all children, with a syllabus that reflects the diversity of communities, with appropriate parent involvement.’ Our political leaders have a huge task ahead of them to address this and ensure that public policy works for everyone in society.”
ENDS