£2m scheme to boost school-university links
Teachers are to be given the opportunity to return to university to study and undertake research as part of a £2 million scheme announced by government today. Education minister Margaret Hodge said that teachers and their schools would receive up to £20,000 towards the cost of the fellowships. The two-year pilot scheme begins in autumn next year and there will be a minimum of 50 fellowships each year. The scheme aims to build school-university links to help widen participation in higher education among poorer pupils.
Bristol votes for graduate tax
Just over half of Bristol University students who voted in a referendum on student funding supported the introduction of a graduate tax. Of 953 students who voted on whether to support the tax in return for the reintroduction of grants and abolition of tuition fees, 518 were in favour. There were 100 abstentions and 335 opposed the idea.
Breaking up is harder to do
St Andrews University scientists are closer to solving the problem of mobile phone signals breaking up in bad weather with the help of a 1.5 tonne weather radar on top of the physics and astronomy building. They hope their research will lead to mobile phone signals being redirected when bad weather is on the way.