Professor Jon Keating, President of the London Mathematical Society, writes in FE News about the Campaign’s aims, any why Maths Week is the perfect chance to celebrate the wonder of mathematics and its contribution to society:
“In these circumstances the Protect Pure Maths campaign believes the government should step in to protect the longer-term interests of the country, supporting parts of the intellectual economy that struggle in the short term but provide profound, as yet unknowable returns in the future.
But we also appeal to vice-chancellors not to vandalise departments that have done exceptionally well for decades based on near-term considerations. Remember that the world’s leading universities all have mathematics departments, and that maths infrastructure cannot easily be reconstituted years down the line.
Despite Sunak’s good intentions, the unprecedented scale of the bill for “building back better” post-Covid could jeopardise the £300 million funding for maths. But if ministers are serious about levelling up, they should remember that mathematics is one of the most inclusive subjects. It would not serve social diversity if it was impossible to study a core subject like mathematics at higher levels in some geographical areas.”
Read the full story on FE News.
