Parents don’t have right attitude to help Scottish education become world class

Iain Gray (Perspective, 16 September) is right that the changes to schooling proposed by John Swinney will not solve the problems defined. They are an obsolete “top-down” approach, similar to that taken with policing.

The issues Mr Gray refers to are certainly important but, like most politicians , he largely ignores others which have greater implications for education. These relate to the housing, health, attitudes and behaviour of pupils and parents.

Studies have shown that when children live in private rented accommodation and must move periodically, their learning suffers. Even those in permanent homes often do not have space for private study. Around 30 per cent of pupils have physical and/or mental health problems and are likely to experience severe illnesses in adult life.

Some parents are, to say the least, inadequate. They have little interest in education or health and fail to prepare their children for schooling.

They have no respect for teachers, whom they think they can abuse as they like. Bullying in schools and workplaces (even within the police) is common. Vitriolic racist and sexist abuse is rife.

Many lament “falling standards” in literacy and numeracy – surely attitudes and actions are far more important?

Without radical changes in these, improvements in “academic standards”, if any, will be of little societal value,

Mr Gray says Scotland can have the “best” schools and teachers in the world. What criteria he uses to make such comparisons and how this may be achieved is not explained. It is as likely as the Scotland football team winning the world cup.

In China, Singapore, Japan and South Korea and other countries, education is a top priority for all parents and children. Abuse of teachers is unheard of. Maintaining discipline is easy.

For Nicola Sturgeon to assume she has the power to greatly change matters is naive in the extreme. ALAN MATHIESON Glasgow Road, Perth