Headmaster Featured on BBC Program on Meritocracy

Headmaster Temba Maqubela recently contributed to a BBC program exploring the concept of meritocracy and its challenges.

A segment of the radio program, which discusses Daniel Markovits’ book The Meritocracy Trap, features an interview with Mr. Maqubela, including his comments about Groton's commitment to accessibility.

Markovits asserts that the current “extremely rigid and spiky class hierarchy” in the U.S. is fed by economic inequality, limiting access to education.

The GRAIN (GRoton Affordability and INclusion) initiative, spearheaded by Mr. Maqubela, was designed to address issues of inequality, inclusion, and access. GRAIN has ensured that students are admitted without regard to their families' ability to pay, and continues to focus on tuition containment. In addition, a Groton summer program, GRACE (GRoton Achieve Challenge Enrich), offers opportunities to strengthen foundations or accelerate academically.

Not enough schools are making significant strides toward accessibility and inclusion—“absolutely not”— according to Mr. Maqubela, whom the program describes as having "himself transcended the inequalities of apartheid to achieve his educational development.”

The headmaster indicated that some schools have sought guidance from Groton about the GRAIN program. "We are getting there," he said. “There is a whole movement going in this direction, but it’s not fast enough.”

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