Asked by
The
To ask His Majesty’s Government, following the recent
announcement of staff cuts in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities
at the University of East Anglia, what steps they are taking to
support the study of the arts and humanities in higher
education.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for
Education () (Con)
My Lords, we are supporting the study of the arts and humanities
across our education system. Our EBacc ambition has humanities at
its heart in order to increase the number of pupils studying
these subjects at GCSE and beyond. We are introducing higher
technical qualifications and T-levels in creative arts and
design, and continue to support our higher education
institutions, including maintaining funding for our world-leading
specialist providers at £58 million for the 2023-24 financial
year.
The (CB)
My Lords, would the Minister acknowledge that these cuts, while
shocking in themselves, are simply the latest in a pattern of
such cuts at universities across the country? In practical terms,
they are to make savings, but more materially, they are the
result of a long-term downgrading by this Government of arts
education from primary school to university. The UEA cuts include
creative writing, yet its globally renowned MA course has
produced Booker and Nobel Prize winners. Does the Minister
appreciate that, if the Government continue with their
destructive policy towards arts education, in the end it will be
our global reputation which suffers?
(Con)
I absolutely do not accept what the noble Earl has just asserted.
If we look at full- time undergraduates undertaking arts and
humanities courses, at a time of significant growth in our
undergraduate population, the figure is almost unchanged between
2019 and 2022—from 20% moving to 19%. The percentage of
disadvantaged young people undertaking these qualifications has
also been stable. Looking across similar providers which have a
significant percentage of arts and humanities provision, a number
of them are in a comparably much stronger financial position.
(Lab)
My Lords, this is a sad and very tragic event for the University
of East Anglia, where I had the great pleasure of lecturing at
one time—the time of our beloved friend Patricia Hollis. It is
bad news for a distinguished department at a good university. It
is also showing a very limited appreciation, both by the
Government and by the funding councils, of the balance and way of
assessing the merits of different university subjects. This seems
to be a sad and deplorable cheapening of our universities, at a
time when many other universities in other countries wish to
partner our own fine institutions.
(Con)
I do not question for a second—and regularly stand at this
Dispatch Box to celebrate—the success of our great universities.
Those universities, rightly, would also stress their independence
and autonomy. I simply made, in my reply to the noble Earl, a
comparison between some of the sad, recent events at the
University of East Anglia and other comparable institutions.
(Con)
Is my noble friend aware that the Royal Historical Society, of
which I have the honour to be a fellow, has expressed real
concern not only at this particular decision but at its wider
implications? Would she consider discussing with the president of
the Royal Historical Society and others what their concerns are
and see whether she can assist them?
(Con)
I would be more than happy to meet with the Royal Historical
Society. But, again, it is the responsibility of the Office for
Students to make a judgment on the financial viability and
sustainability of our higher education institutions when they are
registered. Its view is that the overall aggregate financial
position of the sector is sound. I appreciate there are
individual institutions which are under financial pressure, but
they are autonomous institutions which need to run their own
finances.
of Newnham (LD)
My Lords, while it is absolutely clear that His Majesty’s
Government have put a lot of emphasis on being a science
superpower, have they also considered the ramifications of losing
courses in modern foreign languages? If we aspire to be a global
player and want to trade with other countries, the use of English
is great, but to really understand other countries and cultures,
we need scientists as well as people doing humanities who can
really communicate in foreign languages.
(Con)
I absolutely agree with the noble Baroness that modern foreign
languages are critically important; hence our emphasis on the
EBacc in schools to create a pipeline of students who are
confident in exploring another language and the bursaries we
offer teachers to deliver them.
(CB)
My Lords, in its recent inquiry, the Communications and Digital
Committee of your Lordships’ House heard that the OfS introduced
a measure of low-value courses that failed to take into account
the earnings profile in arts and creative careers, which often
start on lower salaries or in freelance roles. Does the Minister
agree with the committee that what it called a “sweeping
rhetoric” about low-value courses needs to change, to reflect not
just the realities of work in the sector but also the important
point that individuals can and do choose to pursue careers that
earn lower salaries but have vital social and cultural value?
(Con)
The Government of course recognise the points that the noble
Baroness makes, but it is also important that students are really
well informed and understand the choices they make when they opt
for one qualification or another, particularly in relation to the
debt that they might take on. That is why we are so keen to
encourage degree apprenticeships in the creative industries, for
example, because of all the opportunities that offers.
(Lab)
My Lords, among UEA’s alumni of novelists and Nobel laureates was
a former colleague of mine. We taught together in the English
department of a high school in Newport. Her teaching skills were
exceptional, honed by her years studying the arts at UEA.
Notwithstanding the Minister’s previous responses, what, if
anything, are the Government doing to ensure that such motivating
arts teachers continue to graduate from our universities and thus
inspire a love of the arts in our children and young people?
(Con)
A love of the arts can come from many sources—importantly from
universities and schools but also from wider cultural
experiences. As the noble Baroness knows, we are committed to the
bursaries that we are putting in to support particularly the
modern foreign language teachers that were referred to but also
our wider commitment to the creative industries in this
country.
(Lab)
Does the noble Baroness agree with me—I am sure she does—that the
creative industries in this country generate £109 billion a year
and are 5% of our GDP? Does she agree that anything that is done
through funding, or through language that attempts to create a
false dichotomy between creativity in science and in the arts—or
that talks about low value, as opposed to high value—is damaging
to creativity as a whole and to our ability, as a country, to
produce the innovation and cultural vitality that we need across
the whole spectrum, whether it is in the arts or the
sciences?
(Con)
I feel that the noble Baroness and I listen to different bits of
what the Government say about this. It was only last month that
the Government announced their plans to grow the creative
industries from the current £108 billion by a further £50
billion, and a million more jobs by 2030. We are making a major
investment in the sector, particularly in performance and screen
technology research labs based in Yorkshire, Dundee, Belfast and
Buckinghamshire.
(CB)
My Lords, I declare an interest as a secondary school teacher and
head of a design and technology department. According to the Art
Now report published by the APPG for Art, Craft and Design in
Education, 67% of art and design teachers questioned are thinking
of leaving the profession. What are the Government trying to do
to stop this entire waste of talent?
(Con)
The noble Lord asks an important question, and part of this is
about being clear about the value we put on those qualifications.
As I mentioned in my opening reply, we are introducing a new
T-level in this area in 2024 and further apprenticeship
opportunities the following year.
