Low pay may damage British science base

Britain's science base is under threat because of a lack of good physics teachers, the Institute of Physics has warned science minister Lord Sainsbury. The number of physics graduates enrolling on postgraduate certificates of education courses starting this autumn was down 37 per cent a fortnight ago. Moreover, a quarter of all physics teachers are due to retire within ten years. The paper recommends boosting pay for teachers over 35 years of age to put their salaries in line with those of other physicists.