Vince Cable

Vincent Cable, MP, met science GCSE students and teachers at Whitton School last week to promote a national campaign to boost science and maths teaching in schools and universities. Vincent Cable recently secured a major debate in parliament on the crisis in science in universities where 80 departments have closed in 6 years and, earlier, a debate on the chronic shortage of maths and science teachers. Vincent Cable said:

"Thanks to the internationally recognised, and successfully expanding, laboratories in Teddington (the NPL and LGC), this constituency has an exceptionally large number of qualified physicists and chemists. But more widely the position is absolutely dire. Britain is falling badly behind in basic science and mathematical literacy. Many schools do not have qualified teachers".

"Whitton is a happy exception. With two physics and two chemistry teachers, pupils have an opportunity for a good grounding in basic science which is lacking in most other secondary schools".