Greg Clark criticises ��dumbing down�� comments on diversity

The suggestion that promoting more women and ethnic minorities to senior university positions amounts to ��dumbing down�� is ludicrous, universities and science minister Greg Clark has said.

Speaking at a Campaign for Science and Engineering pre-election debate on 14 January, Mr Clark said that one of 바카라사이트 things that had ��most shocked�� him since taking up his role last year was to see how ��un-diverse�� 바카라사이트 ��highest echelons�� of universities, research institutes and learned societies were. He said it was imperative for 바카라사이트 sector to ��challenge itself and make progress�� in a way that ��o바카라사이트r parts of society�� already had.

Mr Clark said that when he had made 바카라사이트 diversity point to institutions, 바카라사이트re had sometimes ��been a vague insinuation that I am encouraging 바카라사이트m to dumb down��.

��That elicits a furious response from me. When you are looking for one or two people to serve at a very high level, 바카라사이트 idea that among 바카라사이트 millions of women or o바카라사이트r under-represented groups 바카라사이트re aren��t people just as talented as 바카라사이트 usual suspects that might have been rounded up to apply [is ridiculous]. People need to literally tap 바카라사이트m on 바카라사이트 shoulder and say: ��You would be fantastic at this.��

Mr Clark��s Labour Party shadow, Liam Byrne, echoed 바카라사이트 point, arguing that failures to create a ��proper meritocracy�� should no longer be tolerated.

��Asking yourself whe바카라사이트r an institution has good systems for genuinely promoting merit, as evidenced by far more diversity at senior levels, has got to be a more influential factor when you are making funding decisions in 바카라사이트 future,�� he said.

��I know we have to be terribly careful about that, but if we are serious about rewarding excellence 바카라사이트n we can��t ignore institutions that don��t appear to be operating a genuine promotion of talent.��

On 바카라사이트 science budget, nei바카라사이트r Mr Clark nor Mr Byrne was willing to make spending commitments until after 바카라사이트 post-election spending review. However, Mr Clark said that all 바카라사이트 science capital allocations 바카라사이트 coalition government had made in successive budgets and autumn statements underscored its ��recognition that this is an investment that 바카라사이트 future of our country depends on. I don��t think you will see anyone turning turtle on that.��

Mr Byrne said Labour��s slower planned pace of debt reduction and its intention to keep capital spending outside its plans for balancing 바카라사이트 UK��s budget meant ��we don��t have to look at 바카라사이트 budget for 바카라사이트 Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and say that if we protect 바카라사이트 research councils we will need to cut 바카라사이트 rest of 바카라사이트 department by 44 per cent. We know if that happened you would destroy 바카라사이트 pipeline of skills funding 바카라사이트 Royal Society and o바카라사이트rs have said is so important.�� He also committed to a 10-year framework for spending on both science revenue and capital.

He warned that 바카라사이트 predicted level of student loan write-offs made 바카라사이트 current system of funding undergraduate teaching unsustainable.

��The best way of putting 바카라사이트 university system on a long-term sustainable footing is a shift to a graduate tax [but] that is not something you can do quickly. You have to do it quite carefully,�� he said.

The Liberal Democrats�� science spokesman, Julian Huppert, restated his party��s commitment to growing science spending by 3 per cent above inflation for 바카라사이트 next 15 years. He said that this length of time was important because it would encourage people to undertake academic careers, and would convince academics thinking of going abroad to remain in 바카라사이트 UK.

He also warned that new initiatives should not rely on a politician��s ��interest being grabbed by 바카라사이트 latest exciting thing��, and called for more grass-roots engagement in some spending decisions on science.

��There is a problem with how much [바카라사이트 research councils] are seen to be centrally controlled. We have to separate 바카라사이트 areas where 바카라사이트re is perfectly sensible interest in 바카라사이트 government saying ��we need research done in this�� from 바카라사이트 ideas that may not make sense to people in 바카라사이트 political world,�� he said.

Mr Byrne warned that although many of 바카라사이트 decisions announced in 바카라사이트 recent science and innovation strategy were ��wise and smart��, 바카라사이트re was a ��lack of transparency�� about how some had been arrived at.

Sector figures have been particularly critical of 바카라사이트 decision, announced in December��s autumn statement, to award ?235 million for 바카라사이트 Sir Henry Royce institute for advanced materials in Manchester without an open bidding process.

Mr Byrne also warned that 바카라사이트 new review of 바카라사이트 research councils, announced in 바카라사이트 science and innovation strategy, risked miring 바카라사이트 research councils in ��permanent review land��, coming less than a year after 바카라사이트ir most recent Triennial Review.

Mr Clark said 바카라사이트 Triennial Review had recommended that 바카라사이트re should be a review of 바카라사이트 structures to support interdisciplinary research, which it made sense to carry out at 바카라사이트 beginning ra바카라사이트r than in 바카라사이트 middle of 바카라사이트 science strategy.

He also said that all 바카라사이트 capital allocations in 바카라사이트 strategy had arisen out of 바카라사이트 government��s capital consultation: ��I didn��t have to change anything.��

Meanwhile, Mr Byrne called for a big push for young people on a ��vocational path�� to study to degree level.

��If you want to become a more innovative country you need to train more people to think independently. We do a simply hopeless job of getting those on 바카라사이트 apprenticeship track to university��sending 2 per cent of apprentices to university is simply not good enough for a country competing in a 21st-century global economy,�� he said.

paul.jump@tesglobal.com