Waste of time

Murdo Fraser (Perspective, 3 April) says educational levels in Scotland have fallen greatly in international rankings. He gives no details. If so, then they have also dropped in England since there are few meaningful differences in scores between the two. We do not have international comparisons for housing, health, diet, parenting etc, which all have major effects on education. Why, then, are there comparisons of exam results in countries with very different societies? It is a waste of public money. and only provides politicians with ammunition to criticise opponents.

Mr Fraser wants the First Minister to do something for schools but does not say what. Might it be to copy Mr Sunak and decide that all pupils must study maths for 13 years, whether or not they wish to? Tories claim to favour personal choice but don’t think such extends to children.

There is already a shortage of maths teachers, who have many other job opportunities Few will choose to teach rebellious pupils who have no interest in their subject. Mr Sunak never attended a state school, qualified as a teacher or taught anywhere, so is hardly qualified to say what should happen in schools. What do the Scottish Tories think about this?

What matters is whether pupils are happy with their schools. One doubts that those intexas, bulgaria, morocco and elsewhere care that their exam results are lower than those in Scotland. Nor should they.

I am no fan of the SNP and deplore its anti-democrat desire for a “Tory-free” Scotland. We need strong opposition parties who command my respect. The Scottish Tories fail to do so.

John Munro Glasgow