Scientific and Technical Education (Hansard, 19 March 1986)

§ Mr. Chris Patten

At the school level, the Government's policy statement "Science 5 to 16", published last year after consultation with the education partners, set as objectives that all pupils should be properly introduced to science in the primary school, and should continue to study a broad and balanced science programme until the age of 16. We have followed this up by supporting expenditure of over £6 million per year on the development of primary school science through education support grants.

The White Paper "Better Schools" included these policies and also stated the Government's view that: primary schools should provide opportunities throughout 217W the curriculum for craft and practical work leading up to some experience of design and technology and of solving problems; every pupil should take part in practical and technological work in a number of subjects through the five years of compulsory secondary education; and all pupils should be introduced to new technology and how it is affecting people's life and work.

Both the microelectronics education programme and its successor body, the microelectronics support unit, seek to improve scientific and technical education through stimulating the use of new technology in schools. In all, the Government are now funding over £5 million a year of work in this field.

The Department is closely involved in the technical and vocational education initiative, administered for the Government through the Manpower Services Commission. This is stimulating greater relevance across the curriculum with an increased emphasis on technical and vocational elements in science and technology as well as other subjects. In addition, some £18 million is to be available for England and Wales during 1986–87 under a scheme administered by the MSC to support in-service training related to the objectives of the TVEI. Training for teachers of science and technology in maintained schools and further education institutions is included within the scope of that scheme.

Under the in-service teacher training grants scheme the Department is supporting expenditure of up to £2 million a year by local authorities on the in-service training of science co-ordinators in primary schools and heads of science departments in secondary schools, and a further £1 million on the in-service training of heads of craft, design and technology departments in secondary schools.

One factor affecting progress on scientific and technical education in schools is a shortage of secondary school teachers in mathematics, the physical sciences and technology-related subjects where there is keen competition from industry and commerce for the limited number of people with the relevant qualifications. The Government believe that the ACAS-assisted negotiations, which began on 7 March, should seek to introduce a teachers' pay structure sufficiently flexible to enable higher salaries to be paid where necessary to attract and retain teachers whose skills are in relatively higher demand elsewhere. Meanwhile, the Government are taking action to reduce the problem of shortage. We have recently announced a bursary scheme (£1,200 tax-free in addition to a maintenance award) to graduates and mature students entering one or two-year teacher training courses in mathematics, physics or craft, design and technology, and we are consulting our partners, the local authorities and others about complementary initiatives.

In further and higher education a range of measures is aimed at improving scientific and technical education through closer links with industry and commerce. These include: financial support for the teaching company and other schemes which link industry and higher education in collaborative research and postgraduate training projects; the college-employer links project, which investigates and strengthens links between further education colleges and industry; responding to requests from industry and others for additional higher education student places in skill shortage areas—most recently in the engineering and technology programme which will provide about 5,000 extra places by the end of the decade; and appointing more industrialists to national planning bodies for further and 218W higher education and to the governing bodies and councils of individual institutions. Additionally, university equipment grants are being increased by a total of £34 million between 1985–86 and 1988–89 so as to support scientific research of particular excellence and industrial promise.

Under the education support grant scheme the Government have also allocated £13 million in 1985–86 and a further £9 million in 1986–87 to help equip further education colleges so that students in vocational subjects can be made more familiar with industrial and commercial applications of information technology.

In higher education the number of full-time equivalent home and EC students studying subjects in the engineering, technology and science fields increased by 30 per cent. between 1979 and 1984, including 57 per cent. in the public sector. The academic plans of the National Advisory Body for Public Sector Higher Education for the years 1984–85 to 1986–87, which my right hon. Friend has accepted as a basis for the distribution of the advanced further education pool, have had as one priority to sustain that expansion. Specifically, my right hon. Friend approved, on the advice of the NAB, the setting aside from the AFE pool in each of the years 1985–86 and 1986–87 of nearly £3 million to support the selective funding of research in biotechnology and other technological fields.