IT was said of Shakespeare that he had “small Latin and less Greek”, an early example of scholarly snobbery.

This verdict came from fellow playwright and poet Ben Jonson whose defenders insist he was commending Will’s remarkable achievement, despite his dearth of Classical education.

Me, I reckon this comes from the same ludicrous stable where Burns is patronised as a “heaven taught ploughman” when, by contrast, he was a well-read polymath.

Possibly it arises from those few who persist in thinking that provincial Shakespeare could not possibly have produced such enduring poetry or drama.

Some even list Jonson as the true author. Which poses a dilemma. Why would Ben own up to writing Volpone – while disclaiming Hamlet and Othello?

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Forgive this meandering. These fragmented thoughts arose as I pondered the condition of Scottish education. I was rash enough to let them escape.

Trust me, I get it. Education is much more than mathematics and Macbeth. It should be about character and socialisation, about truth and honesty.

Still, I fret for Scottish school students. We have messed them about mightily, endlessly altering the curriculum, the teaching methods and the exam system.

Now, we are on the verge of further change. The immediate challenge will face those students who are about to return to school for the final spurt of study before they sit external exams.

We are told they will be “generously” marked, perhaps giving them a chance to match or surpass their older chums who were assessed by teachers last year when Covid made exams impossible.

However, it would be eminently understandable if they were anxious. This hideous plague has disrupted their schooling. May I wish them every possible success. Stick with it.

There is, though, a bigger challenge looming. Apparently, we have not manipulated Scotland’s schools sufficiently. More is required.

In two reports, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, OECD, put Scotland’s curriculum and exam system to the test.

Guess what. It failed. It was said that Scotland was “wedded” to formal exams, by contrast with other European polities.

It was said further of the revised curriculum that, while it had been a valuable initiative at the outset, it had struggled to keep up in class, that Scotland had stagnated comparatively in mathematics and science, for example.

In response, the Education Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville seized upon the generic verdict, saying it was “crystal clear” that the Curriculum for Excellence offered the right approach.

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Oh dearie, dearie me. This sounds like an apprehensive teenager, presenting a poor report card. “No, no, don’t look at the Maths and English. Look at my attendance record.”

To be fair to Ms Somerville, she has acted. The Scottish Qualifications Authority is to be replaced. There is to be a new inspection system. The deckchairs are being vigorously rearranged.

Enough, Brian, enough. Ministers mean well. They are genuinely trying to enhance schooling for Scotland’s offspring. They are seeking productive solutions.

We now await a further report card. Professor Ken Muir has prepared a paper on the next steps, following the OECD analysis.

The Scottish Government confirmed to me they had received the Muir report and were “considering its recommendations”. They anticipated publication in the Spring, at which point the Education Secretary would set out her response to Parliament.

Let us hope we get it right this time. Forgive me if I fail to sound the requisite note of optimism.

One of the suggestions before Ministers is that external exams in S4 should be scrapped and replaced, for those who are departing at that age, with a school graduation certificate.

Does that not sound eerily familiar? Back in the dark ages, was there not such a thing as a Leaving Certificate?

Second sceptical point. If there are no exams in S4, how do students gain exam experience. Is it really to be the case that the first big exams they face will be the crucially important Highers?

Or should those be dumped too? Ministers declined to comment but I cannot see this government abandoning the Highers. One senior SNP source forecast another dose of “cautious radicalism”.

Consider the various pressures upon students. They have endured this hideous plague. They live in a social media age, which can run counter to concentration.

They are told they must study to succeed. Yet, all around them, they see “celebrities” who appear to glorify ignorance, shrieking in frenzied hilarity as they profess that they know nothing about the subject under discussion, however trivial.

It is a miracle that our students learn anything at all. Yet, learn they do. Indeed, a report this week suggested that people in Scotland are the most highly educated in Europe.

Now pause a second for a few caveats. This refers primarily to the use we make of the extensive higher education system in Scotland; our numerous universities and colleges, some of which are globally excellent.

It does not mean, of itself, that Scotland’s S4 students are intrinsically brighter or better schooled than elsewhere. We must keep working on that, while acknowledging the scope of the scholarly opportunities in this great land.

Think of the competing pressures within education. The vested interests whose main concern is to defend their own territory. (Ministers tend to call them “stakeholders.”)

The academics who put schools under a microscope, before producing a compendious variety of diagnoses and cures.

Do they give sufficient thought to the fact that these are not scientific specimens, but Scotland’s future? Could they perhaps pause and reflect, instead of eagerly suggesting wholesale transformation every few years?

Again, Brian, enough. These experts, too, are well motivated. Mostly. Some positive ideas have emerged from the latest round of scrutiny, including the suggestion that there should be more of an emphasis upon vocational education, with comparable status.

Which leaves us where? Opposition Conservatives say they will vigorously oppose “faddish” plans to move away from exams.

There is apprehension on the SNP side too. One senior MSP voiced private concern that big changes might impact five years down the line, while generating further uncertainty for today’s students.

I shall stop now. For brevity is the soul of wit. Bet you wish you’d written that one, Ben.

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