Back to school for government officials

Sir, – It is undeniable that heavy budgetary constraints have been imposed upon local authorities by the Scottish Government, reducing resources and denying them the ability to raise rates to ameliorate this.

This is witnessed by the many service cuts reluctantly imposed by councils, throwing thousands out of work.

We have seen the closure of both police stations and courts, increased waiting times in hospitals and a constriction upon care services for the elderly.

Our once much envied educational system is consistently under attack through budgetary constriction, and we are faced with the consequence that more and more pupils are reputedly leaving school with an absence of basic abilities.

It is now reported that cash-strapped schools may be forced into a number of ways and means to make their books balance, and indeed the Rector of Madras College in Fife suggested that he could be faced with the possibility of staff cuts, the increase in class sizes, or even a shorter scholastic week.

Meanwhile, free education to all is a myth, in that well qualified and able students are being denied university placements when budgetary allocations become exhausted, paving the way for full fee-paying foreign students to make up the shortfall, to the detriment of the former.

Surely party games should be abandoned and a serious emphasis placed upon tackling these looming problems. David L Thomson. 24 Laurence Park, Kinglassie.

Picture: Kris Miller. Closures and staff cuts are becoming more common, argues one correspondent, with schools being no exception.