British PM David Cameron, Oxford University in Row Over Admission of Black Caribbean Students

Does prestigious Oxford University has a race problem? Well, according to the Jamaica Observer, the university is in a race row with Prime Minister David Cameron, who said the university only admitted one black student from the Caribbean in 2009. The university begs to differ.

Oxford University has described as “incorrect and highly misleading” figures quoted by Cameron on the number of black students admitted to the prestigious institution.

“I saw figures the other day that showed that only one black person went to Oxford last year,” said the prime minister in response to questions from the public at a PM Direct event in Harrogate in North Yorkshire. “I think that is disgraceful. We have got to do better than that.”

But an Oxford spokeswoman said yesterday that the figure referred only to United Kingdom (UK) undergraduates of black Caribbean origin starting courses in 2009-10.

She said there were another 26 students who said they were of black origin, and 14 of mixed descent. “The figure quoted by the Prime Minister is incorrect and highly misleading,” the spokeswoman said in a statement. “In fact, that year Oxford admitted 41 UK undergraduates with black backgrounds. “In that year, a full 22 per cent of Oxford's total student population came from ethnic minority backgrounds,” she added.

But a Downing Street spokesman said that the figure Cameron used was from a response to a Freedom of Information request, “which clearly states only one black Caribbean student was admitted to Oxford in 2009”. Source

Sorry, but since sugar is no longer king in the Caribbean, many of the islands are basically of no use to the British government and that's a sad commentary. Why would PM Cameron make a big deal out of this if he didn't believe the information presented to him to be fact? I am with him on this one. Sorry, but this isn't acceptable by any means. It is irrelevant that Cameron said last year instead of 2009. Oxford University still has a diversity problem.