Parasites urged to get a profession

ACADEMICS are like parasites, or so says University of East London emeritus professor of psychology John Radford.

Addressing the London conference of the British Psychological Society, Professor Radford, who accepted the society's inaugural award for distinguished contributions to the teaching of psychology, said there was a hint of being a parasite, priest, proletarian and professional in all academics.

But when looking to the future of academia, "the professional route holds most hope". In Britain, academics were in a sense parasites, "where almost all are a charge upon the public purse".

Professor Radford added that in some respects academics also resembled priests who had a caring pastoral role, dedication and satisfaction in what they did.

However, he added: "We are being reduced to a proletariat when what we should aim to be is professionals. Unfortunately, some colleagues have apparently cooperated in this shift to a proletarian role, regarding themselves as workers under management and at last actually going on strike."

He said that he now saw an urgent need for academics to become a profession, with the training and formal accreditation associated with one.

"The only training academics normally get is a PhD which is a research training," he said. "Traditionally there has been little or no attention to teaching, nor to the pastoral, administrative, political, or public relations activities that are all part of modern academic life. There is a range of skills that an academic profession needs.

"Whether it is going to be possible, at this late stage and in the face of increasing pressure, to develop a true academic profession, I do not know. What I feel convinced of is that psychologists ought to be at the forefront."

Professor Radford argues that academic psychologists, with their understanding of learning, memory and motivation, should be at the forefront of making academia a profession.