MIKE HEDGES AM CELEBRATES THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE OPEN UNIVERSITY.

MIKE HEDGES AM CELEBRATES THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE OPEN UNIVERSITY.

Speaking after meeting staff from the Open University at the Senedd, Swansea East AM Mike Hedges said… I think that one of the great achievements of Harold Wilson as Prime Minister was the establishing of the Open University. In the 1960s to get a degree you had to go to one of the traditional universities and almost exclusively this meant straight from 6th form. The Open University really did change the lives of millions of people by giving them the chance to return to education, often many years after leaving school, and often for people without the qualifications required by the traditional universities.

I am so pleased that the Open University continues to fulfil this role and is now celebrating its 50th anniversary. The figures below show that in my constituency, over 200 people are currently studying for qualifications through The Open University. The figures speak for themselves – this is a truly vital part of the education system and I pledge to do everything in my power to ensure that it can continue to do this work for another 50 years!

Number of students in Swansea East: 245
Percentage of students from widening access areas: 51%
Percentage of students from areas where participation in HE is traditionally lower: 76%
Percentage of disabled students: 26%
Median age of students: 32
Percentage of students in full or part time work while they study: 59%
Percentage of students studying with the OU without traditional HE entry criteria: 47%