There’s more to education than gaining knowledge merely to pass examinations

I agree with Richard Lucas (Letters, 29 January) that present education policy is ill-conceived. To assume that the “attainment gap” between pupils from different backgrounds can be closed by schooling is akin to thinking that the NHS can eliminate the great variations in health. There are often large difference in attainment levels among siblings.

The propensities of anyone are mainly dependent on genes, what happens to them before birth, and in the first three years of life. There is no more reason to wish that all children have similar levels of literacy and numeracy than to hope they should have equal abilities in music, art, games or dancing. Sir Ken Robinson, formerly professor of education at Warwick University says these areas are just as important as literacy and numeracy.

To assume the only way to improve literacy and numeracy is to subject pupils to intensive classroom instruction in these subjects is mistaken.

However, I disagree strongly with Mr Lucas that schooling should consist of pupils acquiring academic knowledge from adults who know more than they do.

There are countless better ways to do gain knowledge. Very little of what most us know was learned in schools. Moreover, these have seldom taught pupils to think, either critically or creatively. In the last 20 years understanding of the human brain has vastly increased.

This has vast implications for education but very few of those involved in the latter are aware of the matter.

Politicians talk of helping each child to achieve his/her potential. Few teachers, parents or others can know what this is – indeed, few know what their own potential is. Even if they do know, they have limited powers to do much about it.

Critics say schooling lacks “academic rigour” yet in “real life” this is seldom applied, even among those trained in it. It plays little role in political or business decisions.

Emotion is the prevailing factor. and improving “emotional intelligence” should be a key concern. Emotional intelligence is linked to creativity and imagination, which Albert Einstein said is rather more important than knowledge. Those who repeatedly advocate “raising standards in schools” seem not to agree. They focus on what can be most easily measured, but the most important matters cannot be gauged.

In life, attitudes are crucial. Those learned while young remain long after most of what was learned simply to pass exams is forgotten.

EUAN BREMNER Carden Place, Aberdeen