MY remark on the value of history graduates to the gross national product (“History fears for its future”, TES, March 2) which prompted letters (“Education is not just economics”, TES, March 9) was quoted out of context.
I am a history graduate myself (Cambridge) and strongly encourage students to study it.
The remarks quoted referred to sponsorship. I suggested sponsors would support the proposed new specialisms in science, business and enterprise, and engineering but doubted if there would be support for schools specialising in historyor geography.
The fact that specialist schools cannot choose history as their speicalism does not mean in any way that they will cease to teach history. Specialisms do not mean other subjects are not taught or do not have high status in our schools.
The Technnology Colleges Trust strongly supports the view that one of the prime purposes of education is to transmit culture, values and understanding from one generation to another.
Cyril Taylor
Chairman
Technology Colleges Trust
37 Queen’s Gate
London SW7
