Social Mobility

Yesterday, I featured a You Tube video about Virginia Jibowu. The most interesting aspect of this case is that the EMDP programme at Kings College London is the brain child of Mr Common Purpose himself Cyril Chantler. Cyril and his friends think that poor kids like to be given entrance into medical school through a special programme where the entry grades are lowered. In reality, this has caused resentment between the MBBS candidates and the EMDP students. This is understandable. Conflict is expected in any system which segregates.

I dissected the issue of social mobility some time ago. The link is here. This is essentially a New Labour concept. What New Labour has not banked on is the fact that people from poverty stricken areas may not want to be treated like disabled people - given special treatment and treated as lesser human beings. They may just want to have the equal treatment. They may even want to compete in the same pool as every other student.

I think the EMDP should be banned and its funding pulled. There are many ways to encourage a cross sectional socioeconomic class into medicine. The EMDP is not the right way forward.

I think the issue with Virginia is a large neon warning sign. One day the conflict between the EMDP and the MBBS will probably end the life of some poor student.That is the result of the Kings Management failing to take legitimate concerns seriously.