Do you believe in race specific grants and scholarships?

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qwerty7

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#116028 16-Apr-2013 10:24

So I just opened an email from my university about some scholarships only to read certain race/cultural conditions were required in order to apply

I am not disagreeing with them just questioning the practice. I can see the reason behind them 'helping the under privileged', but is it an 'ambulance at the bottom of the cliff'?

How are we suppose to live as one equal if there are race specific scholarships and grants? Is that not segregation (Racial segregation is separation of humans into racial groups in daily life.)

Some how I do not see a scholarship for only people of European decent going down to well.

(Racism is usually defined as views, practices and actions reflecting the belief that humanity is divided into distinct biological groups called races and that members of a certain race share certain attributes which make that group as a whole less desirable, more desirable, inferior or superior.)

How come people growing up in New Zealand have equal access to welfare etc and then on top of that we have scholarships and grants specific to people from certain cultures?

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TinyTim

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#800095 16-Apr-2013 11:37

Mark: Going to be a touchy subject this one :-)

Me personally, I class it as discrimination. I'm all for scholarships, but I feel they should be earned and it shouldn't matter what colour or shape a person is, if they are good enough they should have an equal chance to win it.

Well, they're not handed out randomly to people in the target groups; they do have to be the best.

LookingUp

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#800130 16-Apr-2013 12:20

IMHO, it depends on where the money is coming from.

If a particular segment of society is funding the scholarship then they should be able to set the selection criteria. On the other hand, if it's taxpayer funded then it should be open to all.

Things are LookingUp.... A photo from my back yard :-)

lokhor

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#800825 17-Apr-2013 11:19

First I must preface anything I say with this:
I am a 27 year old European NZ middle class male in a (relatively) high income job. I am a direct descendant of an early Danish settler to NZ - the Bishop D.G. Monrad . I come from a low income family and had very little assistance to complete tertiary study. I think my situation is very typical of many in this country and I don't consider myself to be special in this regard, and I acknowledge that I definitely had some advantages compared to many Maori/Pacific Islanders in this country.

I have to agree with Murray regarding an equitable society as well as his views on the disadvantages of coming from a culture that does not always have the same advantages in our society. I also think the comments about pass rates for Maori doctors are an outrage - how can you honestly believe something so obviously fabricated by an ignorant person?

Most success is not built on someone being better than anyone else as much as it is about being afforded particular opportunities by the society you are in and the background you come from. Basically what I'm saying is - if you are well off it is primarily because you were given more/better opportunities than those less fortunate, not because you are special or better than them. Having money does not make you worth more as a person, nor does thinking you are a much harder worker than people from other cultures.

There are so many problems with the wealth gap in the USA and that same pattern is starting to show up here which is a real worry. I might be considered a bit of a socialist but I truly believe we need to start heading towards a more equitable society by looking at societies like those in Scandinavian countries. This means taking measures to ensure everyone is given equal footing in society.This is of course acknowledging that we have a much more mixed culture society to deal with than Scandinavian countries.

Our mixed culture heritage and colonial history means we have to pay some respect to the fact that not all cultures are given equal opportunities in this country. Perhaps this will change over time, but as it is now if you are born into a Maori or Pacific Islander family the chances of you completing tertiary education are statistically much lower.

so tldr version

Our society is not equitable
I think targeted scholarships are good for increasing tertiary education rates in specific demographics
Problems with societal status and disparity with certain cultural demographics are not simple and there are no clear-cut solutions
Don't think of yourself as better than others just because you are more 'successful' or wealthy
wealth gap = bad
Murray is right :)

All comments are my own opinion, and not that of my employer unless explicitly stated.