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David Willetts has said they’re the way to get children interested in science. But it’s a naive view, as young people will tell you

By Alice Bell

Monday 19 July 2010 14.29 BST

According to the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), subjects traditionally dominated by men, are still dominated by men. At best, the percentage of female students has stayed roughly the same; at worst, it’s dropping. Rowenna Davis’s report on this data finishes with a question: “Are schools doing enough to spark girls’ interest in maths and engineering?” Well, David “two-brains” Willetts, minister for universities and science, has an answer. As he told a crowd of space fans last month: “There are two things that get kids into science – dinosaurs and space.”…Continue Reading