UCAS goes PC

I see UCAS will be asking for details of parents jobs and educations levels on their next applications forms.

I can't really see what relevance this information could possibly have to a University when it was considering an applicant, apart from to fulfil some sort of "quota" to allow them to display how PC they are in taking students from differing backgrounds.

Apparently Bill Rammell, the Higher Education minister, said the Government supported the plans.

"We believe that admissions officers should have as much information as possible to help them to assess who has the potential to succeed," he said.The new information on candidates' backgrounds would ensure all applications were "genuinely dealt with on their merits", he told the House of Commons.

How this information could help with the above I have no idea. I would tend to more agree with the following from Martin Stephen, the High Master of St Paul's, the independent boys' day school in London, whowsaid:

"This is taking university entry out of academic achievement and straight into social engineering."

Applicants must say if parents are graduates