I know that Christmas is not so far away, but I was disappointed that the usually affable Ed Dorrell decided to take on the role of Scrooge in his “Bah humbug!” article about Pepper’s appearance before the Commons Education Select Committee.

There was a huge misunderstanding of what this session was about. It was not about auditioning for a new Matrix film, nor was it just limited to edtech or about showcasing a multimillion-pound artificial intelligence robot.

Instead, Pepper’s session had three purposes. First, the committee wanted to showcase the programming work of students from Middlesex University, which I had visited in the summer. Middlesex is a prime example of a non-Russell Group university doing incredible work.

Second, we want to encourage more young students, especially women, to do Stem (science, technology, engineering and maths) subjects, which is why we had the students on the panel answering questions alongside the academics. To describe the hearing as resembling a “sci-fi convention” is an insult to the students’ hard work, and that of the academics appearing alongside them.

Third, it was designed to give a small taster of the world that is to come and how jobs in different sectors of the economy, such as social care, will be affected by developments including artificial intelligence, robotics and the internet of things. These changes are likely to have a major impact on both productivity and the labour market, with low- and medium-skilled jobs most at risk. This is the purpose of our inquiry on the fourth industrial revolution and skills, which goes beyond the use of technology in the classroom - important though that is.

It’s true that Pepper’s appearance ensured that news of the hearing broke out beyond the chattering classes of Westminster and education. We were able to bring a sense of the challenges posed by the fourth industrial revolution to a huge audience of people not usually immersed in the skills revolution or the work of select committees.

So it isn’t “future-gazing nonsense” to consider how we prepare our workforce for the fourth industrial revolution, with a study suggesting 28 per cent of jobs are at risk of automation by 2030. It is widely acknowledged that this is a revolution that will be very different from its predecessors, which mainly affected manual work. It will have an impact on jobs across almost every sector of society.

The key question of our inquiry is whether our education and skills systems are fit not just for the 21st century but for the fourth industrial revolution and the march of the robots.

Ed says that we should be spending our time looking at interrogating education policy and government spending. And so we are. Doubtless, he is following closely our inquiries into school and college funding and SEND (special educational needs and disabilities), for which we held a joint evidence session only this week. These are two of the biggest issues facing schools and colleges and, as a committee, we are absolutely committed to getting to the bottom of what’s gone wrong and making constructive proposals to the government for setting things right.

In this Parliament, the committee has held around 80 hours of public committee hearings on a wide range of education issues, hearing from teachers, school leaders, academics and ministers. Pepper‘s contribution lasted around 10 minutes.

To the head of computer science at the University of Oxford and others who described the robot’s appearance as an “embarrassing gimmick”. I’d say, please don’t be so stuffy. Pop down from your ivory towers and see this for what it was. A robot demonstration, programmed by students at Middlesex University, to showcase the impressive work going on at our universities.

We’ve had a huge response to our session from the public and other educationalists, and we’ve had some incredibly positive comments. Of course, at the end of A Christmas Carol Scrooge has seen the future and is a changed man: I can only hope that Ed makes the same transformation. He might even accept a hug from Pepper the robot.

Robert Halfon is the chair of the Commons Education Select Committee and MP for Harlow