Jeevan Vasagar has interviewed Cambridge vice-chancellor Sir Leszek Borysiewicz, who told him the increasing emphasis being placed on the financial value of a degree poses a threat to the arts and humanities, what he calls the "purer disciplines":
"I have an anxiety in the longer term for the health of the disciplines. This doesn't come at undergraduate level, but is what follows on from a postgraduate level. If you monetise the value of a degree, will you undertake an MPhil in mediaeval French poetry?
"You might undertake a law course which extends [your knowledge of] libel or whatever - because actually there's direct value in that postgraduate education which will translate into your career.
"But will some of the purer disciplines that do so much to enrich - will they still be as attractive to students?"
"You might undertake a law course which extends [your knowledge of] libel or whatever - because actually there's direct value in that postgraduate education which will translate into your career.
More education news from the Guardian
• The School I'd Like project was launched last January, to get children to describe the school of their dreams. Ideas ranged from "digital recorders for lessons so if you go to the toilet, when you come back you can catch up on what you have missed" to "pink fluffy carpet so we can walk around in our socks".
A panel of young people boiled the best down into the Children's Manifesto. In the final phase of The School I'd Like we've picked out and profiled three schools that come close to meeting the children's dreams.
• IQ scores can change dramatically in teenage years in parallel with changes to the brain, according to a study that suggests the 11+ exam for grammar school entrance is not a reliable way to predict academic ability.
Robert Sternberg from Oklahoma State University says:
"A testing industry has developed around the notion that IQ is relatively fixed and pretty well set in the early years of life. This study shows in a compelling way that meaningful changes can occur throughout the teenage years."
• The future of a school for the children of the evicted Dale Farm Traveller community is hanging in the balance. Some 103 of the 106 pupils at Crays Hill primary school live at Dale Farm, the UK's largest Traveller site, in Basildon, Essex.
• The chairs of school governing boards are 97% white, and 92% over-40, new research shows. How well can they represent the thinking of a diverse local community?
Education news from around the web
• Just under six in 10 teenagers (58.3%) in England achieved five good GCSEs including maths and English in their exams this year - a rise of five percentage points on last year, says the BBC.
• Education watchdog Ofsted is launching a website inviting parents to give their views of schools - Parent View offers a 12-question survey covering issues such as bullying and behaviour.
• Official figures show more than one-in-five pupils in England are now labelled as suffering behavioural problems, learning and communication difficulties or physical disabilities, the Telegraph reports. Boys and children from the poorest backgrounds are significantly more likely to be classified than other pupils.
• A primary school worker has been jailed for taking part in looting during the August riots. Learning mentor Alexis Bailey, 31, from south London, has received a 12-month prison sentence, the London Evening Standard reports.
• Following what it calls "a competitive bidding process", the Department for Education has approved grant funding for the New Schools Network to "provide pre-application support to parents, teachers and community groups and others hoping to open free schools".
• Blog of the day has to be @susanyoung_'s weekly piece for the NAHT. She's very upbeat this morning: she was rivetted by Nick Gibb banging on about persistent absentees on YouTube (I defy you to watch the whole thing), and positively fired up by Charlie Taylor's behaviour tips, "as far from the page upon dreary page of pious instruction you got from the last government as you could hope to imagine".
• Red Ted Art (@redtedart) is making Halloween jar lanterns - they're safe and terribly jolly. Plenty more autumnal crafts for little fingers on the site.
On the Guardian Higher Network
• Job-seeking in the US? We have applications advice for academics. Post-doc Charlotte Frost shares some insights on the application process and some tips to impress.
• New leadership comes under the spotlight as Aaron Porter gives his verdict on Reading's new vice-chancellor and the Cambridge University chancellorship race.
Education seminars from Guardian Professional
The Guardian Teacher Network runs training sessions for teachers throughout the year in Yorkshire and London. Upcoming courses include:
Is your school thinking of becoming an academy?
This seminar will provide an independent view of the advantages and disadvantages of converting to academy status. It will look at the process of conversion, the implications of academy status, and the support and funding available. November 30, in London. February 21, 2012 in Yorkshire
Protecting young people in a digital age
Led by school digital safety experts, this one-day course will provide safeguarding policy and Ofsted criteria updates, as well as looking at social media and offering practical advice to help your school develop its digital safety policies. February 1, 2012 in London. February 8, 2012 in Yorkshire.
For a full list visit the Guardian Teacher Network
Teachers seminars from the Guardian Education Centre
Reading for pleasure – bringing classics to life
This half-day conference for secondary school teachers will explore the use and teaching of classic books from Dickens and beyond. Keynote speakers will be Simon Callow, actor and Dickens enthusiast and Judy Golding, daughter of William Golding, author of Lord of the Flies.
20 October, London
Insight into digital journalism
Spend a day at the Guardian and find out how an international news media organisation works. The seminar will focus on aspects of digital journalism including writing and editing for a news website, the relationship between print and web journalism, live blogging, the use of social media, podcasting and video production.
2 November, Kings Place, London
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The world's top 100 universities
Updating table of university fee announcements for 2012
From Guardian Professional
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Free online classroom resources on the Teacher Network
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