You may remember I posted something that Nicky Morgan wrote about the STEM subjects last week...
This is Rita Gardner's response, which you may be interested in reading. With thanks to Steve Brace. Published in the TES.
This is Rita Gardner's response, which you may be interested in reading. With thanks to Steve Brace. Published in the TES.
In promoting the role of science, technology, engineering and maths (Stem) subjects, education secretary Nicky Morgan suggests that other subjects – the humanities, arts and, by implication, social sciences – will not open up a wide range of careers for young people (“Nicky Morgan tells pupils: study Stem subjects to keep your options open”,).
This assertion is not supported by evidence on graduate employability, nor by the Russell Group’s Informed Choices report on preferred “facilitating subjects”, which include geography. This last subject experiences some of the lowest levels of graduate unemployment, and geographers include leading figures such as home secretary Theresa May.
Science and maths have rightly experienced significant rises in uptake in recent years, but it is time for greater balance in representing the contribution of many other facilitating subjects – including geography – to education and employability.
Dr Rita Gardner
Director, Royal Geographical Society with the Institute of British Geographers
Director, Royal Geographical Society with the Institute of British Geographers
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