BBC axes online education jobs

The BBC is to axe all 200 posts within its online education service, BBC Jam, it was announced yesterday.

The move follows the BBC Trust's decision to suspend the £150 million service in March as a result of claims it was damaging the interests of commercial competitors.

In a statement, the controller of BBC Learning, Liz Cleaver, said: "I recognise that the past few weeks have been stressful for everyone involved in Jam following the suspension of the service in March, and commend staff for their patience and professionalism."

Many staff members based in London, Glasgow, Cardiff and Belfast have already left. Others may be redeployed, the BBC said.

BBC Jam is based on the national curriculum and is aimed at five to 16-year-olds.

The service had 170,000 registered users before the BBC Trust pulled the plug.

The Trust acted in response to news that the European Commission had received complaints from the commercial sector.

The BBC's learning department is preparing fresh proposals for a replacement service. They will be submitted to the Trust in the next few months.

Liberal Democrat culture, media and sport spokesman Don Foster said: "This ongoing farce is far from the BBC's finest hour. The decision to suspend BBC Jam before the European Commission had even reached a judgment seems ludicrous.

"BBC Jam was meant to represent a new era in the education services the BBC is known the world over for. Instead the Trust seems more concerned with damage limitation.

"At the very least, the BBC Trust should have waited until firm proposals were in place for a viable alternative before suspending the service."

The decision to suspend BBC Jam was made in the public interest, a BBC Trust spokeswoman said.

"The continuing challenge to BBC Jam clearly could not be ignored and the BBC Trust had to decide whether to subject the service to two consecutive regulatory reviews over a 12-month period - which it believed could have seriously disrupted the service - or take control itself by suspending BBC Jam and requesting fresh proposals which it will subject to a full public value test.

"The Trust has a duty to act in the public interest and it decided that suspension of the service, whilst deeply regrettable for those using BBC Jam, was overall in the best long-term interests of the public," she said.