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Salient: Victoria University Students' Paper. Vol. 25. No. 11. 1962

Meritocracy

Meritocracy

The rise of the meritocracy is demonstrated vividly in Russia. Success in education and exams gives an opportunity to join the class with money, power and prestige. The same tendency for the perpetuation of what Krushchev sneeringly called "the white hands which like others labour," matches the similar tendency in Europe described above.

Together with this rise of the meritocracy has been another development. To illustrate Dr Hey gave an example: In the Ukraine in 1958, 350,000 people were educated approximately to age 18, or to secondary school level. This was three times the number educated similarly in Britain. The Russian economy had no place for these children to utilise their education. There were not enough white collar jobs. To lessen the unbalance the "institutionalised hurdles" selecting varsity students had to be tough. .

The inability of the economies of Western over-developed societies to take all their trained people meant that only the fortunate enter jobs fitted to their qualifications, said Dr Hey. The meritocracy is shrinking.