Academics and public figures including the former archbishop of Canterbury have warned that the decline of religious studies degrees could?cause further polarisation in society.

As students across the UK receive their A-level results, universities are?expected to offer more places?than usual throughout this admissions cycle to help bolster their income as international student recruitment remains volatile.

But the sector¡¯s financial crisis ¨C which has?seen many institutions cut courses?and, in some cases, entire departments ¨C has resulted in a ¡°narrowing of the opportunities¡± available to young people, with theology and religious studies among the subjects ¡°hit hardest¡±, according to an open letter published by the thinktank Theos on 14 August.?

According to the letter, soon only 21 higher education institutions in England and Wales will offer an undergraduate degree in theology and religious studies. For comparison, 90?run undergraduate degree courses in history, 80 in music and 101 in sociology.

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Spurgeon¡¯s College, a 170-year-old institution that taught roughly 200 students theology degrees recently announced that it is closing all its courses, blaming ¡°significant financial challenges for several years, driven by declining student numbers and an increasingly complex and difficult financial landscape¡±.

The Theos letter argues that the decline of theology has ¡°adverse effects for society¡± because it ¡°provides space for interfaith dialogue in an environment where people from different?backgrounds¡­can explore issues of belief together. In an increasingly polarised world, it helps us understand other points of view.¡±

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Among the letter¡¯s 75 signatories are Rowan Williams, formerly the archbishop of Canterbury; Wajid Akhter, secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain; and Trupti Patel, president of the Hindu Forum of Britain.

Analysis by the?British Academy in 2019 found?that enrolment on bachelor¡¯s courses in religious studies dropped 31 per cent between 2011-12, the year before tuition fees were increased in England, and 2017-18.?

More recent research?by the national academy also showed that subject ¡°cold spots¡± have developed across the UK as a result of course closures, with theology one of the programmes most affected. There are?concerns that such subjects?could become the ¡°preserve of the elite¡±.?

The decline has also led to a reduction in qualified RE teachers in school, with more than half these classes currently taught by teachers whose specialism is in another subject.?

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¡°The future looks increasingly complex, diverse and pluralistic; local, national and global?changes require us to wrestle with moral, ethical and spiritual challenges and ideas well,¡± the letter says.?

¡°We owe it to the citizens of tomorrow to equip them with the tools to navigate this?future and live together better. We can think of few better tools within our education?system than theology and religious studies.¡±

helen.packer@timeshighereducation.com