The campaign recently held a parliamentary roundtable in Portcullis House, Westminster, bringing together parliamentarians, ministers, civil servants, academics, and universities to discuss the recent closures or reductions of multiple maths departments in UK universities.
Kindly hosted by Stephen Metcalfe MP, the roundtable was well-attended by a cross-section of parliamentarians, including representatives from each of the major parties and the Chair of the Education Select Committee, Robin Walker MP.
Discussing the increasingly large number of students who are opting to study mathematics at a Russell Group university rather than a lower-tariff institution, Mr Walker noted that the problem is also being witnessed in other subject areas such as history, but cautioned how much government intervention can be considered given universities are independent.
The SNP’s Science and Technology spokesperson, Carol Monaghan MP, argued that parliamentarians are very interested in solving this issue and called on the support of the mathematical community to develop solutions.
Parliamentarians were generally supportive and shared our concerns about closures at lower-tariff institutions. The host, Stephen Metcalfe MP, noted that policymakers are eager to help and we will use the discussion to inform the campaign moving forwards.
