Education & Training news

Sure Start director says childcare reform is for UK economy not children

28-05-2023 18:00

Naomi Eisenstadt, first programme lead, says there is lack of attention on what childcare is actually forNaomi Eisenstadt remembers her excitement as she started as the first director of the government’s Sure Start unit in 1999.“I felt like Lyndon Johnson had run up and asked me to set up Head Start,” she says, referring to the US president’s key 1965 policy to fight the “war on poverty”. Continue reading...

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International students are the ‘ideal migrant’. Even that can’t save them from the UK’s cruelty | Nesrine Malik

28-05-2023 15:08

Our universities desperately need their money, yet it almost seems the government is trying to put them off comingGiven how much the subject of immigration dominates British political life, it is remarkable how little people know about what it actually takes to come to this country. Immigrants are spoken of as if they simply purchase a ticket and stroll in, against the wishes and efforts of the government. Perhaps there should be some mandatory course that everyone has to pass – a sort of

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‘It would be a betrayal to back down now’: university pay row reaches new level of acrimony

28-05-2023 15:00

As the stalemate continues, union infighting has added a new dimensionwhile universities are threatening to dock payWhen Jo Grady, general secretary of the University and College Union (UCU), stood at the podium of its annual congress yesterday, she said she had “never been so proud to be part of this union as I have in recent weeks, watching you all stand firm in the face of vindictive, bullying behaviour from employers.“Our wins this year have been achieved through unity,” sh

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From fleeing Hitler to Mars: the scientist who changed space travel

28-05-2023 11:00

The remarkable journey of Ben Abeles will be celebrated next week by the opening of a new archiveBen Abeles’ impact on science was out of this world. He helped develop alloys that were key components of the radioisotope generators that powered US robot space probes on their interplanetary journeys. Nasa was then able to reveal the wonders of the solar system, from the ancient river beds of Mars to the icy moons of Jupiter.One of the devices is still in use, providing electricity for the Pe

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If you defend free speech, you must defend it all and not silence those you disagree with | Kenan Malik

28-05-2023 08:01

Ministers trumpet their law against ‘no-platforming’ in universities, but that doesn’t stop them disinviting critics from their own conferencesNormally, I’m keen for this column to be widely read. This time, though, I hope not too widely. I’d be happy if it doesn’t catch the attention of Jacob Rees-Mogg or of government officials.I’m due to give a talk to civil servants later this year. If anyone were to trawl through my social media they might discover

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