Support our Nation today - please donate here
News

Carol Vorderman awards £2,000 bursaries to students studying maths in Wales

02 May 2022 2 minute read
Carol Vorderman. Photo Joe Giddens PA Images

Carol Vorderman is giving nine bursaries worth £2,000 each to students studying maths at Swansea University, in a bid to help those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

They will be given to UK applicants for full-time undergraduate programmes in mathematics or actuarial science who will join the university in South Wales in September 2022.

The former Countdown star, 61, who went to a state-funded school in Prestatyn, said she wants to help students from a background similar to her own.

She wrote on Twitter: “I’m giving nine bursaries to students who are applying to @SwanseaUni to study Maths this year.

“I particularly want to help students from a similar background to my own (comp and on free school meals) but these bursaries are available to all good luck.”

Applications will be assessed by a selection panel, which will look into the background of the students and their answers to questions about motivation to study at university and career aspirations.

Students from disadvantaged backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

Vorderman said she was inspired by her mathematics teacher to read engineering at Cambridge University and was one of only a few female students.

It comes after the Government’s social mobility tsar was criticised for comments implying that girls do not study A-level science because they dislike “hard maths”.

Katharine Birbalsingh also told a meeting of the Science and Technology Committee that girls do not seem to “fancy” physics as much as other subjects.


Support our Nation today

For the price of a cup of coffee a month you can help us create an independent, not-for-profit, national news service for the people of Wales, by the people of Wales.

Subscribe
Notify of
guest
4 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Y Cymro
Y Cymro
1 year ago

Credit goes to Carol Vorderman. At least she trying to put something back into Wales, be it promoting Wales on Twitter & Instagram, and now this £2000 bursary to encourage students to study maths here. All I can say is this. Diolch yn fawr Carol!

hdavies15
hdavies15
1 year ago
Reply to  Y Cymro

I’m in agreement with you there. In some respects I just don’t like her but that is probably as much due to my nature as anything else. I really like the gesture as she encourages people to study within Wales whereas as an alumnus of Cambridge she could have easily pushed these bursaries in that direction. Good on her. It sets a sound example to others, including Wales Gov, whose first instinct is to promote places like Oxbridge for no good reason other than a perceived superiority.

Jenna Rosetti
Jenna Rosetti
1 year ago
Reply to  hdavies15

Being female she would be an alumna.



hdavies15
hdavies15
1 year ago
Reply to  Jenna Rosetti

Thank god we have a Latin teacher on hand. How would we ever manage without you ? Have an uptick for your efforts.

Our Supporters

All information provided to Nation.Cymru will be handled sensitively and within the boundaries of the Data Protection Act 2018.