Failed education doctrines must be addressed as a matter of urgency

TECHNICALLY, the “Access Czar”, Professor Peter Scott, may be correct that able students who have worked hard for years and achieved good grades, have no “right” to go to university in Scotland (“Good grades ‘no right’ to university for middle class”, The Herald, December 17). However, this conveniently ignores the fact that the Scottish Government’s policies since taking office have not only left primary and secondary education in a lamentable state, but have contributed directly to an unprecedented paucity of university places for Scots.

One of the many depressing effects of this is that many of Scotland’s brightest young people will head south for their university education, regard the fees as a price worth paying, and never return. Widening access to students from disadvantaged backgrounds is both a moral and economic imperative, but when it admits Peter at the expense of Paul, no matter how deserving Paul may be, not just Paul, but the whole country loses out.

It is puzzling why Prof Scott is described as a czar, given that the czars were a line of despots, the last of whom was incompetent, totally out of touch with his people, and whose reign ended when he was taken out by the people’s representatives and shot. If Prof Scott can help do the same to the some of the risible doctrines which have led to us lagging behind Albania, he will have served his country well. Based on his most recent utterances, I am not holding my breath. Stephen Gold, Burnside Road, Glasgow. FIRST Minister Nicola Sturgeon and the Commissioner for Fair Access are right to have made recruitment of pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds to university a priority, but the statement from the new commissioner that middle-class pupils with good exam grades have no entitlement to go to university must be of concern to many who have applied themselves to achieve the required grades.

Sixty per cent of places are offered to home-grown applicants and in the remaining 40 per cent of English, Welsh, Northern Ireland and International students paying tuition fees there are more than 13,000 EU nationals at higher education institutions entitled to free tuition.

Is there some flexibility to allow charity to begin at home? R Russell Smith, 96 Milton Road, Kilbirnie. RECENT discussion on university admissions of students from deprived areas may suggest that this problem has been recognised only recently. Not so. Many access schemes and other initiatives have been in operation since the 1980s or perhaps even earlier (and so also have been attempts to encourage more girls to apply for science and engineering courses). An early scheme involving Glasgow University, schools in Drumchapel and Easterhouse, and others sought to encourage greater participation from pupils in these schools, including summer programmes to help preparation for university study. Other initiatives followed across Scotland.

The fact that we still have a long way to go is not due to lack of willingness or effort on the part of universities and others to improve access. There are very real difficulties in remedying the situation. Factors to be taken into account, among others, include academic ability, interest and motivation, quality of teaching, family circumstances (including financial situation) and peer pressure.

Everyone would be delighted if there was an infallible way of selecting the students who could benefit most from university courses. There is not. If we had unlimited resources, perhaps we should provide places for everyone who wanted to try university (with free tuition, an adequate grant for living expenses and other appropriate support), and let them discover for themselves if university was suitable for them or not. There would still be the problem of encouraging all suitable students to enrol.

On the other hand, there should be no pressure to go to university. Everyone who has worked in a university must have come across students who did not really want to be there, and who would have been much happier doing something else.

May I wish Prof Peter Scott and all others involved every success in their efforts to improve access for suitable students. Archie White, 63 Hallydown Drive, Jordanhill, Glasgow.