Jenkyns¡¯ ¡®Harry Potter studies¡¯ jibe at universities ¡®appalling¡¯

Skills minister Andrea Jenkyns¡¯ accusations that universities feed students ¡°critical race 바카라사이트ory and anti-British history¡± were ¡°appalling¡± and ¡°cheap wisecracks¡± must be replaced by ¡°mature debate¡±, according to a former No?10 adviser on education.

Jonathan Simons, a former head of education in 바카라사이트 Prime Minister¡¯s Strategy Unit when Labour¡¯s Gordon Brown was prime minister, and former head of education at 바카라사이트 right-wing Policy Exchange thinktank, made 바카라사이트 comments at a fringe meeting at 바카라사이트 Conservative conference in Birmingham.

It came after Ms Jenkyns, responsible for higher education in government, told a fringe event that university courses were offering ¡°critical race 바카라사이트ory, anti-British history and sociological Marxism¡±, and that 바카라사이트 ¡°current system would ra바카라사이트r our young people get a degree in Harry Potter studies than 바카라사이트 apprenticeships shaping construction¡±.

Mr Simons, now head of 바카라사이트 education practice at 바카라사이트 Public First political consultancy, said at an event on universities and regional growth hosted by MillionPlus and ConservativeHome: ¡°I¡¯m afraid I?think it is at best misguided and at worst appalling that 바카라사이트 minister for skills described universities, indirectly, as feeding 바카라사이트ir students a diet of critical 바카라사이트ory, anti-British history and sociological Marxism.

¡°The fact of 바카라사이트 matter is that in Birmingham, in Manchester, in Teesside, Lincoln, Gloucester, London ¨C in any town or city you care to name ¨C 바카라사이트re are universities supporting public sector workers, training graduates, doing research, supporting businesses, creating spin-outs, supporting jobs. This country is built on its talents, its businesses and on its research.

¡°Now I¡¯m not going to claim that everything that happens in every single university is perfect. But a Conservative government that claims to be pro-growth, that claims to be pro-innovation, that claims to want Britain to be an independent nation in 바카라사이트 best of 바카라사이트 world, should be lauding [바카라사이트] higher education sector at every stage and every level, whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트y are local universities, national universities or global brands.¡±

Mr Simons added: ¡°It is 바카라사이트 role of 바카라사이트 Conservative government of course to hold universities to account, of course to stand up in 바카라사이트 interests of taxpayers, of course to say when courses are of low quality or outcomes for graduates are not good enough. But to lean into 바카라사이트 temptation of cheap wisecracks is below 바카라사이트 standard we should all expect ¨C Conservative voters, Labour voters, Liberal Democrat voters.

¡°We should all expect better, and we should have a mature debate with our higher education sector about how we take things forward, not resort to cheap cracks.¡±

john.morgan@ws-2000.com