Quango quandary

Exemplary as it was, Mark Wilson’s missive (‘Secondary school teacher pens scathing open letter to Sturgeon’, Scotsman, 19 September) was misdirected.

Scottish education is not actually managed by the Scottish Government. It is run by an unaccountable coterie of quango officials and civil servants. Last year, the Chief Executive Officers of Education Scotland and The Scottish Qualifications Authority were summoned to appear before Holyrood’s Education and Skills Committee to answer concerns raised by teachers and parents.

Almost every question was met with a long-winded, evasive or complacent response.

The SQA chief blithely declared that her staff enjoyed a good working relationship with teachers, and remained unmoved when a Committee member asked in which parallel universe this occurred. Education Scotland’s boss could see no conflict at all in having the curriculum both developed and inspected by the same organisation.

In a recent BBC interview Lindsay Paterson, Professor of Education Policy, said that nothing had changed as a result of this questioning, and he got the impression that these CEOS resented having their judgment queried.

In response to Mr Wilson’s letter a Scottish Government spokesman produced the usual emollient platitudes, which served only to cover his Ministers’ embarrassment that they have, in practice, no control over what goes on in schools.

JOHN SAMSON Blinkbonny Gardens, Edinburgh