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Reading University Accused of Jumping The Gun |
The Chairman of the House of Commons Education Select Committee, Barry Sheerman MP, has invited members of the threatened physics department at Reading University to give evidence at a forthcoming inquiry into the financial sustainability of England’s universities. It was also revealed that the Higher Education Funding Council (HEFCE) has an ongoing review into the funding of science teaching prompting Reading West MP Martin Salter to claim that the University is “jumping the gun” over its decision to close the physics department at Reading.
The decision by Reading University to close its physics department was discussed today at Westminster with Higher Education Minister Bill Rammell MP and a delegation led by Reading West MP Martin Salter. The delegation included Dave Lewis, President of Reading University Students Union, Ian Mills, Professor of Chemistry, Dr Averil Macdonald, Senior Lecturer in Physics, Professor John Blackman, Head of Physics, Professor Peter Main, Director of Education and Science, Institute of Physics, Sally Hunt, General Secretary, UCU, Professor Lescek Fransinski, an Atomic and Molecular Physicist, and Reading East MP Rob Wilson. The Senior Management Board at the University announced last month plans to close the Department which has recently become a National Centre of Excellence for the teaching of physics and received £2.4million in public money in collaboration with the Open University and Leicester. A final decision on the future of the physics department will be taken by the Reading University Council at its meeting on the 20th November. Speaking after Monday’s meeting Martin Salter said: “We put a powerful case to the Minister about the need to protect the teaching of science subjects and he made it clear that the Higher Education Funding Council (HEFCE) was currently engaged in reviewing this whole area. In the light of this review it is clear to me that the University is jumping the gun by seeking to close its physics department purely for short term financial reasons.” Professor John Blackman added: “We were not surprised that Bill Rammell was reluctant to intervene directly as no Minister wants to be accused to attempting to “micro-manage” individual universities. However we were encouraged that he drew attention to the ongoing funding review by HEFCE which will include the future of science teaching.” Speaking on behalf of students at Reading, Dave Lewis said: “The Students’ Union will be working with our colleagues in the Science Department to try and persuade the University Council at its meeting on November 20th to defer any decision on the future of Reading’s physics department until the HEFCE review is completed and the Education Select Committee has had an opportunity to consider the broader issue of science teaching.” |
