Litter picking on school curriculum is ‘foolish’

A former Conservative minister’s proposal for litter picking to be including in the school curriculum has been dismissed as “foolish” by Lord Winston, the Labour peer.

Lord Robathan yesterday made the case for 10- and 11-year-olds to pick up litter at school, arguing that it would encourage civic responsibility and tackle the “shocking and disgusting proliferation of litter” in Britain.

However, citing the poor rates of literacy and numeracy in primary schools, Lord Winston, a fertility expert and TV presenter, dismissed the idea and suggested that schools should focus on “the essentials of a good education” instead.