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President Obama’s latest initiative is to give greater access to competitive education to African-American students throughout their lives. He spoke recently at New Orleans in the National Urban League gathering stating that an executive order has been issued by in this regard by the White House. 

He went on to say that every American must be able to access higher education which is no more a luxury. To ensure that universities and colleges cut costs, administration is working overtime to push them, he said. Most of his speech was focussed on economy. He listed out the plans to boost middle class through effective economic plans and tax policies.

He also said that an opportunity to start a business must be given to every single entrepreneur in our country, no matter who they are. He said that this is the singular reason why at least $7 billion financing and contracts have been awarded to women-owned, minority-owned and African-American businesses.

Most of the black community leaders welcomed this move on the election year. Conservative groups, as expected, criticized the move. A remarkable transformation has occurred in our education system through equal educational opportunity, said our President.

There are still many obstacles to be overcome in our educational system and equal access is not given to African-Americans in terms of safer schools, effective principals and teachers and necessary preparatory classes.

This initiative will aim to remove such disparities operating through the President’s advisory committee in cooperation with an executive director and the interagency working group. All challenges faced by African-American students will be addressed through a deeper understanding of the causes. To enhance quality of education right from the preschool level to college, evidence-based practices will be identified and implemented.

Past executive orders will be reinforced through this initiative and this in turn will promote historically black universities and colleges. The new commission will be chaired by University of Maryland’s President Freeman Hrabowski.

A group of black leaders gathered at the White House to welcome the move. On-going progress will be encouraged by this initiative that will provide equal access to all students for higher education and racism will be a thing of past, said the NAACP president Ben Jealous.

President Obama also attracted criticism for this initiative. Center for Equal Opportunity president Roger Clegg said that it was not in good taste to focus on one particular racial group and excluding all others completely as this sets up a new bureaucracy.

He pointed out to the fact that previously, any policy that was aimed at one particular racial group was categorically rejected by President Obama. He blamed him for buckling under election-year pressures that has obviously gotten too strong.

According to Clegg, the order does not go in-depth to find out the reasons for racial disparities. He said that educational outcomes due to these disparities are clearly due to the fact that an increasing number of blacks are born out of wedlock. This is the reason for the tendency to commit crimes and also for behavioural problems in schools.