Design as a stem subject?

Read this article yesterday in design Week about design education in which i am involved......

"Design Council chief executive David Kester has called for a change in the categorisation of design education.

In a speech delivered at the Liberal Democrat Party conference fringe in Bournemouth yesterday, Kester called for design to be more closely linked within Stem (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) subjects.

Stem subjects are regarded as strategically important to the UK economy and are ringfenced in terms of research funding.

Earlier this year, Professor Sir Christopher Frayling, former rector of the Royal College of Art, called for design to be included as a Stem subject, saying, ‘The dots aren’t being joined up. Engineering and technology are rated, but design isn’t. The big issue now is making design a Stem subject.’

In his speech, Kester also called for a sustainability element to be embedded across education, and for the nature and value of creativity to become an integral part of all learning.

He said, ‘Our educators have a responsibility to bring hard business and technological skills together with creative problem-solving capabilities.

‘The business community itself has to step up to the plate… Finally, Government has an important leadership role which it can play through smart spending and policymaking.’ "

Design Week on line breaking news 22nd September 2009

It may seem at last that Design as a subject in education may start to become taken seriously as perhaps realise that a significant part of the British economy may now be based on such skills rather than earlier more traditional manufacturing based ones...?

What is your opinion?