The number of students studying languages, including English, at British universities fell by 35% in the decade to 2017; history and philosophy saw a reduction of 21%. While some humanities subjects have seen increases – art and design, for example, is 6% up – these are tiny compared to huge rises in the numbers studying maths (26%), biology (47%) and medicine (11%). These figures provide essential context for this week’s warnings from university bosses that humanities courses will be jeopardised if Philip Augar’s review of post-18 education leads to a cut in tuition fees, as is widely expected. These subjects – and the knowledge, values and ideas they represent – are already in retreat.
The overall number of those studying for degrees has risen steadily since fees were introduced in 2012 and (though down from an all-time high of 1.2 million in 2009) stands at just over 1 million. This is progress. The alternatives to academic post-16 education have been damagingly neglected for decades, and it is fervently to be hoped that the review will make strong recommendations in this area. But improved training and financial support need not come at the expense of a higher education sector that offers Russian, drama and medieval studies alongside the more job-focused options of education, nursing and business. As we teeter on the brink of Brexit, British people need more knowledge of our own history and more understanding of other cultures – not less.
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