Our Vice-Chancellor, Professor Don Nutbeam, is the only UK VC to join the this week’s trade delegation to Japan, Indonesia and Malaysia, led by the Prime Minister. The delegation is also joined by Minister for Universities and Science, David Willetts, Minister for Trade and Industry, Lord Green, and the government’s chief scientific advisor, Sir John Beddington.
Off to a rather chaotic start as it quickly became apparent that the “Royal Suite” at Heathrow Airport was more accustomed to processing rather small and less boisterous groups than the assembled scrum of politicians, business leaders, media and civil servants forming the Prime Minister’s delegation. The refreshments were quickly consumed and a major crisis was averted when extra supplies of tea and an emergency delivery of Krispy Kreme donuts arrived to keep the masses calm as we waited to board our specially chartered plane.
The jet is not what I had anticipated. It is an Angolan owned and registered plane with a US crew. Not sure what to make of that! The crew are delightful but don’t always give the impression that they know how the plane works. Although not quite Air Force One, it is perfectly comfortable for the long overnight flight to Tokyo. Once in the air, the Prime Minister is quickly up and about, making a full tour of the plane and speaking to each of us individually. He is impressively well briefed on our plans to open a campus in Malaysia and fully aware of the importance of UK higher education to the UK economy.
David Willetts was also quick on his feet, and chatted at length with me about the trip and the possibilities for UK higher education in each of the three countries we will visit. While I have serious concerns about many elements of government policy on higher education, it is hard not to like David. He is an impressive politician operating in a difficult political coalition. I have always found him to be thoughtful and challenging, and he has a deep understanding of the sector and the consequences of current policies. In the context of our current trip, he is a passionate advocate of the quality and value of UK higher education, and has interesting ideas about ways in which the UK can help countries like Indonesia to develop their higher education system. We have a spirited discussion with Edward Oakden, the Managing Director of UKTI, about ways in which the Government can best support UK universities in improving our international reputation and activities. I remind anyone who will listen that education remains one of the UK’s most important exports, and that our current visa regime and border controls undermine this important contributor to our economy!
It is obvious that the program is still somewhat fluid. We have firm timings for our program in Japan, but little detail on the specific content. For Indonesia and Malaysia, there are some specific events but rather a lot of activities “to be confirmed”. Flexibility will be required!