'Disgraceful' - Cameron unhappy with the admission of one black student to Oxford last year

england (CMC):

A leading British statistician has supported his prime minister in a row with one of the world's leading universities over black Caribbean students.

Prime Minister David Cameron said on Monday that it was 'disgraceful' that only one black student from the Caribbean was admitted to Oxford University, his alma mater, last year.

Dr Peter Avery, of Newcastle University's mathematics and statistics department, has backed him up, stating that the probability of only one black Caribbean student getting a place at Oxford in 2009-2010 could be as low as three per cent.

He said it was difficult to make an accurate assessment of the significance on one year's admissions, but noted that statistically the figure was not insignificant.

"If you have a low figure like that it is worrying, and [it] suggests that there may be a problem," Avery said.

Responding to questions from the public at a 'PM Direct' event in Harrogate in North Yorkshire on Monday night, Cameron said he "saw figures the other day that showed that only one black person went to Oxford last year.

"I think that is disgraceful," he said. "We have got to do better than that."

But an Oxford spokeswoman said 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," said the spokeswoman in a statement.