Follow the science?
It’s official: archaeology has been reclassified for the purposes of Government funding, and is now treated as a branch of the STEM group of academic disciplines (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths) rather than as a SHAPE subject (Social Sciences, Humanities, and the Arts for People and the Economy). The reassignment follows lobbying by the British Academy, the Council for British Archaeology, and the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists, among others.
The reason for the change was the announcement by the Secretary of State for Education, Gavin Williamson, of a 50% cut in the amount of money that the Government gives to universities to fund the teaching of the humanities, including archaeology. The Government carried out a ‘consultation’ on the proposals and numerous figures from the arts world described the proposal as ‘catastrophic’ and ‘diabolical’, but their protests were ignored. The Office for Students, which claims to be the ‘independent regulator of higher education in England’ confirmed in July that the funding subsidy for creative and arts subjects will be cut by 50% from the start of the next academic year, and that universities in the capital will lose their London weighting. The Government claims that the arts and humanities are not a ‘strategic priority’, and plans to divert funding for these subjects to the teaching of maths, science, and nursing. The Musicians’ Union said that ‘the UK’s world-leading status in music and the arts was being placed in serious jeopardy by these cuts’, and the British Academy pointed out that this would make the study of performing and creative arts courses an elitist pursuit, which only the well-off could afford. This runs counter to the policy of greater access to higher education for students from disadvantaged backgrounds – which Professor Frances Corner, the Warden of Goldsmiths, University of London, highlighted was more like ‘punching down’ than ‘levelling up’.
Speaking before archaeology was exempted from the cuts, Professor Simon Swain, Vice President for Research and Higher Education at the British Academy, said: ‘The performing and creative arts, media studies, and archaeology are all vital to the knowledge and skills base on which the UK’s 80% service-sector economy depends. The creative economy is one of the most dynamic, productive, and profitable sectors of the UK labour market. Since 2014, the sector has grown at almost twice the rate of the UK economy as a whole, generating around £10m per hour. These industries are now worth £84.1 billion to the UK economy. Meanwhile, the heritage sector, which depends heavily on the insights of archaeologists, is central to the UK’s appeal as a tourist destination, which will be crucial in reopening our borders and rebuilding the economy as the COVID-19 pandemic is brought under control.’
