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I am a student currently, studying engineering. However a few years ago when I applied to study engineering I applied for scholarships, there were a fair number:
Academic Bursaries (10)
Financial Support Bursaries (25)
Company funded Scholarships (36)
Female Engineering Scholarships (10)
Female Support Scholarship (5)
Black Engineering Scholarships (5)
(and a few more that I cannot remember). Now I did well out of this picking up an academic bursary (because I had exceptionally high grades) and a company funded scholarship (because I am aware of how to deal with interviews and know enough about my subjects to actually discuss them with the interviewers). I was running against people of all races and genders, however there were some of these that I could not apply for, not becuase I was not qualified but becuase I was a white male.
Ok, firstly I am from what is considered a deprived area (while not poor we are not exactly rolling in money), our school was good however not on the same par as some private ones. However I achieved good grades and so did a few others in my school. I have no racist problems, I hang out with people of all religions and colours (pink, brown, light brown, dark pink etc...).
I find this wrong however, people are not equal, not becuase of colour or gender but because they are human. I know people who were infinitely better academically and more in need financially of some of these bursaries and scholarships than some of the people who achieved them, and the reason was that these people could not apply.
I don't know why colour has anything to do with this, if I apply for a loan you should look at my financial state, my previous investments etc, not my colour. If I apply for a course I want you to look at my grades and suchlike not my gender. Ok I am probably "privelaged" in some way however I cannot see this, from my perspective everyone is equal, I know that I do not discriminate based on things so why should people do it against me... I have felt this as people who are in worse financial states are offered loans and things despite the fact that they cannot afford to pay them back nor do they consider not paying to be wrong.
Society should be non-discriminatory, heck take the "race" part off of forms totally... quotas and ratios are inherently wrong, its not about having 10 white men 5 blacks, 2 women, 3 gays and a guy in a wheel chair in your work place its about having the 21 best people that can fill the jobs, if a disabled person gets a job over a non disabled person to fill this quota it is wrong, if the best person for the job is that gay black disabled female then she should get the job... I know people who have been told that they will not get a job because they are white and the company needs to meet "integration targets". What happened to the good old system of the best person for the job.
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