Memorandum 108
Supplementary evidence from Dr Gavin Reid[382]
Many thanks for the opportunity to address the
select committee this morning. There were one or two matters that
I did not get the opportunity to raise given the time available
and the manner in which the particular questions were put. Please
do not take that as a criticism, your enquiry probably establishes
a new record for the breadth of its remit!
If I may I would like to add that I am especially
concerned about the polarisation of science teaching at 14-19
level away from the state sector and especially away from the
FE colleges. This is evidenced by students' practical skills or
the lack thereof at entry—it is quite common that students
have only ever seen the teacher demonstrate many of the key experiments.
This is a travesty in my view. Simply put, the economy needs more
scientists than are being taught and trained at the present time.
The other is about the impact of the fall in
the unit of resource that Professor Arthur described. I was impressed
with his somewhat candid statement as it is extremely unusual
(unheard of?) for such views to be expressed in public by a sitting
Vice-Chancellor. For sure it impacted adversely on the student:staff
ratio but also unevenly. In the sciences, where student numbers
did not expand at the same rate as other parts of the sector many
departments, as you know, were closed or downsized. More detrimental,
however, has been the closure of the science infrastructure within
our universities as labs have been turned over for alternative
usage. The cost of replacing these facilities when fashions change
is vast and has never been taken in to account. I believe strongly
that the Visitors, who usually have powers of inspection of the
buildings and laboratory facilities in Pre 92 University Charters
have failed in their duty here. I might be wrong but I do not
believe that the Visitor has inspected a single University laboratory
at any time in recent history. The old UGC space norms have been
torn up without debate and those who helped to established the
new norms are the same as those who implement space policy and
they are certainly not academic…
May 2009
382 UCU, National Executive Member, following the oral
evidence session on 6 May 2009. Back
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