Debate over value of drama as Arts Council funding is slashed and A-level is denigrated
Drama is considered less important.As the New Year dawned, Liverpool was crowned this year’s European Capital of Culture. The award is intended to celebrate cultural diversity and development in the chosen city, whilst promoting future projects. However, late last year it was announced that the Arts Council England, who are responsible for funding thousands of arts groups, was to have a £112.5m budget relocation.
The Arts Council has said that there will be fewer organisations getting money, with 194 seeing funding cuts. However, 80 more are being added to its portfolio.
Nonetheless, events such as the National Student Drama Festival (NSDF) and more obscure arts professions such as literature translators will be deeply affected.
The cut will most directly affect grassroots projects entering the British mainstream being submerged beneath their financial burden.
Simultaneously, the most respected universities in this country are fraternising with the anti-culture bandwagon. Earlier this month Russell Group of universities announced a series of ‘less ideal’ A-level subjects for their candidates. These spurned subjects include many culturally enriching ones, such as Drama and Theatre Studies and Art, as well as newer subjects, like IT. This disregard for formal, creative endeavours seems to echo the government’s apparent disregard for grassroots creative projects. A University of Cambridge spokesman even described the subjects as “unacceptable”.
One suggested reason for the move made by the Russell Group was to make the application process “transparent” and makes it easier to differentiate between candidates. But for some universities, creativity is superseded by a ‘safe bet’, ensuring their reputation is maintained, even though, as School’s Minister Jim Knight asserts, “all subjects are rigorously measured against each other to maintain standards”.
The University of York, as a member of the 1994 Group is one of the exceptions. John Cooper, the Admissions Tutor for History in 2007, said: “I was struck by the commitment of York’s admissions and School’s Liaison Department to retaining an open mind about the relative merits of different A-levels.”
If the country continues to neglect the arts and those with a passion for culture , then there will be five words for Gordon Brown to describe Britain by: “Desperately Needing a Cultural Renaissance”.
Nicola Jackman
I personally agree with the disregarding for “soft” A levels. Drama, Dance, Performance Studies, Business Studies and the like have contributed to the second largest proportion of A grades awarded in 40 years. Evidence speaks for itself. Those who have achieved the higher grades in more academic subjects are worthier of places at the more prestigious universities as they are harder to achieve. Having said that, it should be encouraged that extra curricular activities are undertaken in these fields. There isn’t any point in applying to Oxbridge with such “soft” A levels as they do not promote transferable skills which could be used in the classic academic subjects, hence why they are considered unacceptable.
Chris Northwood
As a York student who has a Business Studies A-level, I would defend it as not necessarily easy (I only got a C in it, compared to an A in a traditionally more difficult subject - Maths), and the skills I’ve picked up have proved very useful in the real world of having a part time job. Just because an A-level doesn’t teach academic skills doesn’t mean it should be disregarded (obviously Oxbridge are a special case because they’re generally more interested in pure academic study)
Josh
All the top Tier universities are only interested in pure academic A-levels. I don’t have an A-level in business studies yet I have a lot of business sense, have set up my own little schemes and got a business related job with a Big 4 company ready for when I graduate…