Letters – Our children deserve a quality education
Dear Editor,
Recent OECD figures rated English teenagers as the worst of 23 developed
nations in literacy, and 22nd of 23 in numeracy. Many of the advantages we have
economically in the United Kingdom relate to English as a global language, and
our high-tech economy. If we are to be a 21st-century global leader in an
increasingly-crowded field, we need to strive to be the best.
Before I was elected to the European Parliament, I taught Mathematics. I
believe that at every level, the way we educate our young people and future
leaders requires a radical overhaul. Teaching must become less a tick-box
exercise and much more about conveying a passion for the subject. Mathematics
contains so much beauty, and we must convey that to children rather than sterile
instruction which leads children to describe Maths as ‘boring’. We need a
quality education to be provided, in a disciplined learning environment, and for
that education to be valued and supported by all parents. We need to cater
better for special educational needs than we do. But sometimes society also
forgets about the A* students; should we not also be doing more to ensure that
they reach their potential if we want future generations to stand
out?
At every level improvement is required; a good first step would be
admitting that there is a problem. If children do not pick up key skills in
Maths and English at school, then it could impact them in countless ways for the
rest of their lives. We must do better for a generation which will already be
burdened by unprecedented levels of national debt and reduced public
services.
Regards,
Jonathan Arnott MEP
