Quote of the day

"If you wanted to do something different, or even if you didn’t know what you wanted to do … then the arts and humanities were what you chose. Because they were useful – we were told ­– for all kinds of jobs. Of course now we know that couldn’t be further from the truth, that the subjects that keep young people’s options open and unlock doors to all sorts of careers are the STEM subjects."

When Michael Gove was deposed as Education Secretary, I sounded a note of caution amid the celebrations - there seemed to be little indication that his replacement Nicky Morgan would be any improvement. And, sure enough, here she is, writing off both a whole swathe of academic subjects and those who choose to study them - essentially dismissing the value of culture. She would do well to realise that not everyone is as narrow-mindedly careerist as politicians.