President of Birkbeck Baroness Bakewell calls on Government to address fall in part-time learners
President of Birkbeck, Baroness Bakewell, has called on the Government to address the fall in part-time and mature learners at a debate in the House of Lords on the subject of Adult Education and Lifelong Learning.
President of Birkbeck, Baroness Bakewell, called on the Government to address the fall in part-time and mature learners at a debate in the House of Lords on the subject of Adult Education and Lifelong Learning called by Baroness Sharp of Guildford, a Lib Dem Peer and Fellow of Birkbeck, on Thursday afternoon.
Speaking at the debate, which also saw contributions from Baroness Sharp, Baroness Garden and Lord Hunt of Chesterton in support of Birkbeck, Baroness Bakewell said:
“The role of adult education and lifelong learning is key to the future of education in this country. If that sounds like an exaggeration, it is because we are only now at the start of a fundamental shift in attitudes to knowledge and skills among the population, both workers and employers.
“We need education for two reasons: to furnish and sustain the skills and expertise that support our jobs and our economy; and to nourish the sense of who we are, giving depth and insight to our sense of identity and enlarging our common humanity. Both are important and both need to be nourished all life-long.
Baroness Bakewell drew attention to the fact that part-time student numbers have declined by 21% over the past eight years, and called on the Government to remedy the current slump in numbers in the UK. She added:
“I ask the Minister if the Government would consider bringing in the maintenance loans sooner, so that students and the institutions that serve them can benefit and flourish immediately.
“The Government have also announced a relaxation in obtaining tuition fee loans for those already holding a degree—equivalent or lower qualification students and those studying science, technology, engineering and maths, the STEM subjects. This is in accord with both our and the Government’s ambitions for the sector, but again there is a glitch.
There is concern that no extra funding will be available to support the teaching of these subjects, which involve higher costs. I believe that the future of adult education and part-time study holds the secret to prosperity for decades to come, and I ask the Minister to address my specific inquiries.”
The debate follows a visit by the Minister of State for Universities and Science, Jo Johnson MP, to Birkbeck. While on campus Mr Johnson met with students to discuss their studies at Birkbeck and with the Master, Professor David Latchman, to talk over the outcome of the recent Comprehensive Spending Review.
Further information
- Full transcript of the debate
- Baroness Bakewell, President of Birkbeck
- Professor David Latchman
- Birkbeck’s response to the Comprehensive Spending Review
- Jo Johnson MP visits Birkbeck