Time to look abroad to provide enough properly qualified language teachers?

The Scotsman carried an article on the sad state of foreign language teaching in Scottish schools (Monday, 31 July), and in his letter of 5 August, John Mcinally gives his experience of the very worrying situation that exists in schools regarding this matter.

The Scottish Government spokesman’s statement, quoted in your story, that “individual schools choose which subjects they teach according to local circumstances” can only mean they will only teach French if they have a French language teacher.

The reality is that there is a dire shortage of suitably qualified foreign language teachers in Scottish schools.

The position can only get worse as the standard of English teaching in schools is demonstrably poor and deteriorating.

I was fortunate to have been educated in Edinburgh in the 40s and 50s, when great emphasis was placed on English grammar and syntax. This was a huge advantage to me when I studied French and German to Highers level. Grammar and syntax have scarcely been taught for decades, and I find it very difficult to believe that anyone can properly learn a foreign language without a good grasp of these essential elements of English.

One answer in the medium term would be to look to recruit English teachers from countries where English is taught as a foreign language, covering proper grammar and syntax, and hopefully stop the rot and eventually reverse the situation.

DONALD LEWIS

Beech Hill, Gifford, East Lothian When I read recently about the plans that Education Secretary John Swinney has for our long-suffering children’s education, I noted something which gave me grave cause for concern.

Apart from having a name which clearly contrasts vividly with reality, the “Curriculum for Excellence” is described as aiming to reduce the element of rote learning which children will undertake.

I have had considerably more involvement in education than most. I have also had to make sure that my children actually learned their times tables, which their primary school at the time deemed unnecessary to a child hoping to do arithmetic.

That particular approach was as helpful as expecting children to read books without actually knowing the alphabet, and we made sure that they were equipped to know their tables by rote. I don’t know how else to know your times tables.

When undertaking a postgraduate course a few years ago, I was pleased to know that my Latin was still in place 40 years on, thanks to rote learning nouns, verbs and adjectives whilst I was at school.

I am sure that Mr Swinney and his colleagues have the best of intentions in trying to reduce children’s reliance on rote learning.

However, the SNP’S record on education to date makes me very worried that yet another crash in Scottish children’s arithmetic attainment is looming, and it is as clear as the nose on Mr Swinney’s face where the problem lies.

ANDREW H N GRAY

Craiglea Drive, Edinburgh