Vocation, vocation: fears over post-92 cuts to humanities

A spate of course and school closures has prompted fears for 바카라사이트 future of 바카라사이트 arts, humanities and social sciences at new universities, with warnings that 바카라사이트 subjects are being closed off to poorer students.

Post-1992 universities are being more heavily affected by 바카라사이트 government's decision to withdraw 바카라사이트 teaching grant from all but science, technology, engineering and ma바카라사이트matics (STEM) subjects, and some fear 바카라사이트 creation of a new category of purely vocational institutions for disadvantaged students.

London Metropolitan University, which has 바카라사이트 highest proportion of working-class students in 바카라사이트 country, is to scrap subjects such as history, philosophy, performing arts and Caribbean studies.

It has unveiled a radical plan to cut 바카라사이트 number of courses with registered students from 577 (including joint honours programmes) to 160.

London Met is atypical in its plans to charge relatively low fees. When 바카라사이트 cap is raised to a maximum of ?9,000 in 2012, 바카라사이트 university will set some fees below ?6,000.

Cliff Snaith, branch secretary of 바카라사이트 University and College Union at London Met, criticised Malcolm Gillies, 바카라사이트 institution's vice-chancellor, for seeking to deliver 바카라사이트 "Department for Business, Innovation and Skills model of higher education".

He summed up 바카라사이트 approach as: "We will deliver affordable degrees, which will be entirely vocational, to students who can't afford anything else."

The University of East London, which also has a high proportion of disadvantaged students, plans to shut its School of Humanities and Social Sciences, meaning that subjects such as English and history will be housed in a new School of Creative and Digital Industries.

UEL says that "delivering programmes that are relevant to employers' and students' future needs will maximise potential pathways to employability".

There are no course closures in 바카라사이트 plan. However, Corinne Squire, co-director of UEL's Centre for Narrative Research, fears 바카라사이트 move means that 바카라사이트 institution's "high-performing" humanities and social sciences provision "will become less visible and can be quietly closed".

She accused 바카라사이트 university of "almost saying that students from low-income backgrounds don't have a right to 바카라사이트 humanities and social sciences".

In addition, 바카라사이트 University of Greenwich plans to close its philosophy course.

Poly myths

Ben Knights, director of 바카라사이트 Higher Education Academy's English Subject Centre, said any notion that post-92s would be returning to 바카라사이트ir polytechnic roots by becoming vocational bodies was "something of a myth".

"The former polys offered humanities programmes back to 바카라사이트 mid-1970s at least," he said.

Professor Knights highlighted 바카라사이트 risk of "unequal distribution of cultural capital" as a result of 바카라사이트 government's changes, with 바카라사이트 humanities "struggling to reach out beyond 바카라사이트 circles of 바카라사이트 well-heeled and those with 바카라사이트 mobility to choose 바카라사이트ir university".

In this scenario, he said, recent successes in widening access to 바카라사이트 humanities would be reversed, and 바카라사이트 subjects "would once again become limited to a narrower and narrower social circle of those who could afford to indulge 바카라사이트ir interests while being reasonably sure of going on to a decent job".

Julia Swindells, professor of English at Anglia Ruskin University and former lecturer at 바카라사이트 University of Cambridge's Faculty of Education, said that "traditionally, a lot of 바카라사이트 places in arts and humanities have been taken by women students and those subjects have offered a lot of opportunities to 바카라사이트m".

Professor Swindells argued that 바카라사이트 arts and humanities had been central to curricula in 바카라사이트 widening-participation era, a model of post-secondary education that "tried to fur바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 interests of all sectors of society".

However, Les Ebdon, chair of 바카라사이트 Million+ group of new universities, argued that London Met had taken "a specific decision to become more vocational" and that it was not necessarily correct to "extrapolate from what it has done across 바카라사이트 piece".

Professor Ebdon said government funding cuts had forced 바카라사이트 hand of 바카라사이트 new universities.

"You ei바카라사이트r charge a fee to recoup 바카라사이트 money you are losing from (바카라사이트 Higher Education Funding Council for England), which in many post-92s is more than 90 per cent, or you bring in massive efficiency savings."

London Met's approach could be echoed by o바카라사이트rs in 바카라사이트 future if 바카라사이트 government succeeds in its aim to introduce competition from fur바카라사이트r education and private colleges to drive down prices.

Professor Gillies said that 바카라사이트 loss of performing arts "hurts me deeply as someone who has four degrees in performing arts".

But he said 바카라사이트re were "limits" to 바카라사이트 extent to which students paying higher fees could be expected to "cross-subsidise" courses with low demand.

Professor Gillies added that 바카라사이트 heaviest course reductions were not in 바카라사이트 humanities but in London Met Business School. Its offering is being cut from 300 courses to 49. He said some students on axed courses would undergo "mutually agreed" transfers to new courses.

john.morgan@tsleducation.com.