Northern Ireland to be envied Join the debate:

BEFORE retiring, I taught in a university language department, teaching students from all over the world but mainly from Europe.

The majority of this latter group had been funded by the wonderful EU Erasmus programme and it was a real joy and privilege to see them exchanging ideas and experiences and learning from each other’s cultures and enriching the UK (and frequently contributing to it after graduating by staying and working here). Such exchanges contributed massively to research in all sorts of areas, from sport to literature and the arts, to medicine and engineering, science and technology. The scheme of course also enabled British students to study throughout the EU, a fantastic and enriching opportunity for our young people, as well as contributing massively to the funding of UK universities, which will probably now have to cut courses.

Tragically, as part of the so-called Brexit “deal” – and despite Boris Johnson assuring Parliament that Brexit would not affect Erasmus – the UK

Government has wilfully chosen to abandon the scheme, an act of unnecessary and vicious cultural, social and intellectual vandalism that will set many young people’s aspirations back irretrievably. The suggested replacement scheme has already been widely derided as hopelessly inadequate.

There will be students throughout Scotland who had looked forward to studying abroad thanks to Erasmus whose hopes have now been shattered.

It is worth noting that students in Northern Ireland will still have access to Erasmus, so I wonder if Scotland’s Tory MPS will be pressing for this crucial programme to be retained by Scotland, especially as my MP, David Mundell, threatened to resign if Northern Ireland received any favourable treatment?

C Donaldson, Moffat.

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