Science and maths teachers 'should have student loans paid off'

Science and maths graduates should have their student loans paid off by the Government if they choose to become teachers, an influential scientific society recommends.

The Institute of Physics says that monthly student loan repayments could be scrapped as long as the graduate remains in teaching. And teenagers who take “hard” A levels should be awarded more points per qualification for their university applications, according to the institute’s chief executive. A lower grade in physics should be given the same points for university entry as a higher grade in some other subjects, Dr Robert Kirby-Harris said.

The institute wants to boost the quality of physics teaching in schools and the number of teenagers studying the subject in sixth form and university. About 24,000 students sit A-level physics each year — about half the number who chose to do so in the 1980s. A quarter of secondary schools in England do not have a dedicated physics teacher, according to a survey last year, meaning that lessons at A level are sometimes led by teachers without a proper grasp of the subject.

This crisis in recruitment could be improved with bold initiatives to attract physics, chemistry and maths graduates into teaching, the institute said.

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Although many can receive “golden hello” payments from schools of up to £5,000, heads are often reluctant to differentiate between staff in this way.

The institute proposes that instead of, or as well as, such incentives, the Government could meet the cost of graduates’ monthly student-loan repayments.

Professor Peter Main, a director at the institute, said: “There’s a shortage of specialist physics teachers. Head teachers are reluctant to have differential pay in subjects because they can run into problems. They could pay off student loans, which are effectively a graduate tax, for graduates teaching in shortage subjects.

“They would continue to pay off the student loan while the graduate remained in teaching. This would be an incentive to graduates to go into teaching and to remain in teaching.”

Professor Main said that schools and colleges could also receive financial incentives to boost the number of students taking “strategically important” subjects such as science, technology, maths and languages. He said that other ideas that could be discussed included capping the number of students universities could take in subjects other than these. And he suggested that the choice of degree courses was being steered by the whim of teenagers, resulting in a growth in subjects such as drama, psychology and media studies, even though employers were crying out for science and maths graduates.

He added: “The market is led by people aged 15 and 16, which does not seem to be the right answer.”

Professor Main said that the Government was “in denial” about research that claims to prove some A levels are harder. He said: “If they came out of denial that would solve many problems — the first stage of making it better is the admission that the problem is there.”

Dr Kirby-Harris echoed his comments, saying it was an “open secret” that A levels differed in difficulty.

He said: “The best schools and teachers know this and the best universities select on this. Everyone’s admitted it, apart from the Government.”

A spokeswoman for the Department for Children, Schools and Families said that as a result of bursaries and golden hellos the number of trainee science teachers recruited last year reached more than 3,000, and applications were up so far this year by 42 per cent compared with last year.


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