Scotland must change elitist approach to sports funding

Regrettably it is not anticipated that the distorted elitist approach to GB sports funding will be seriously and objectively reviewed any time soon, but perhaps Sports Scotland (with the limited funds it has available) can learn from New Zealand and other small countries, such as Norway and Ireland, and at the same time devise a more equitable funding model better targeted at encouraging greater participation across a wide range of sports than focusing on selected sports which require considerable financial resources to pursue to the top level.

Medals are great as recognition of individual talent and sporting commitment, as well as in helping to inspire younger competitors, but improving the overall health of the nation must be considered more important than the celebration of a few meritorious successes.

Stan Grodynski, Longniddry.

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Private school change won't work

YOU highlight the plight of one private school in Greenock and its probable impending demise because of the imposition of VAT on school fees ("Small private school in fear of closure after hike in VAT", The Herald, August 12). While most educational establishments will be required to charge 20% VAT on fees from January 1, 2025, it should be remembered that they will then be able to recover the VAT that they have paid on their costs, something that they were unable to do before.

In a Technical Note entitled “Applying VAT to Private School Fees” the Government suggests that, as a result of this, affected schools will really only need to increase their fees by a maximum of 15%. Laughingly, a party that has proved incapable of controlling the public purse in the past has the audacity to give advice on ways in which schools could reduce this increase even further. This includes cutting back on non-essential expenditure, and digging into their surpluses or reserves. This second suggestion in particular shows just how naïve the Government is. Surpluses won’t last forever if schools use them to subsidise fees. What does the Government suggest they do when the money runs out? As for cutting back on non-essential expenditure it would be nice if the Government practised what it preaches. Are gold-plated pension schemes, uncontrolled expenses, heavily-subsidised meals and alcoholic beverages provided at Westminster really essential?

The very first paragraph of the Technical Note puts forward a very commendable objective, namely to ensure that “every child has access to high-quality education”. Unfortunately, as we all know, this attack will not achieve that, which is why so many politicians continue to send their children to private fee-paying schools.

Alan McGibbon, Paisley.

It's the same old story

AT what point does a recurring story become unworthy of front page headlines, a deluge of newspaper articles and readers’ views filling the Letters Pages? Would about 30 years be adequate? For that is about the time, with Michael Forsyth as Scottish Secretary and Scotland under Tory rule when school league tables arrived. Subsequently there was the arrival of new educational jargon with "the attainment gap" and "top schools" emerging .

In those years, Scotland has been governed by Tories, Labour, Labour assisted by the Liberal Democrats and the Scottish Nationalists. In power, not one party has laid a glove on solving the problem. Undaunted, however, these same parties, in opposition, feast on the political opportunity to slaughter the current government and the education secretary. It is, after all, a brilliant political open goal.

Over the 30 years a host of experts have advised on the way ahead. As have countless directors of education and education advisers across the different authorities. Add in the myriad of headteachers, senior staff and thousand of teachers, and nothing has changed. Thirty years of collective failure and incompetence?

The monumental difficulties of changing the underlying issues such as poor housing, social problems, clinging poverty are not for this letter. Their solutions defeat me. The annual condemnation, implicit and insidious, of children and parents from hugely disadvantaged areas across Scotland mustn’t get in the way of the triumphs, so lauded, concerning the predictable "top school’’ achievements.

Despairingly, I anticipate the news and the tiresome fallout when the 2025 August results arrive.

Rod O'Donnell, Milngavie.

• WE learn that according to new data published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency, 173,745 Scottish students attended universities in Scotland ("'Record levels' of overseas students at Scots unis", The Herald, August 9). Changed days indeed from days of yore, before the implementation of the terms of the Robbins Report (1963), when Scotland had four universities: St Andrews, Glasgow Edinburgh and Aberdeen. Further expansion, of course, took place in the 1990s and now we have 15.

One wonders how many of the 173,745 have reached a conclusion that it would probably have been more beneficial and rewarding all round if , having left school, they had engaged in a form of training or apprenticeship, with some kind of income, rather than studying for a university degree. The introduction of university fees for Scots in Scotland, now being mooted in certain quarters because of the existing cash constraints on many of our universities, would obviously make consideration of opportunities after school alternative to university more likely for many school leavers.

Ian W Thomson, Lenzie.

There are record numbers of overseas students at Scots universities (Image: Newsquest)

Why don't the Scots riot?

SEVERAL thousand years ago, according to my DNA, my paternal ancestors arrived from central Europe and my maternal side came from the “fertile crescent”. We in these islands are all migrants and 10,000 years ago the “indigenous” population was dark-skinned. I have happily lived and worked in England (my daughter lives and works there now) and my wife worked in France for some years, but why they riot (England about every 10 years and France more frequently) and we do not, I have no idea.

The triggering cause of riots down south seems to differ on every occasion, so it is not one single aggravating event: the poll tax is a good example, causing riots in England but not in Scotland. One thing I am certain of, is that a riot in Scotland would be described on the BBC as a “Scottish riot” not a UK one.

GR Weir, Ochiltree.

All is not yet lost

AS I listen to the news, read the papers and look around our beautiful world, it is in crisis through man's greed and avarice and disregard for the future wellbeing of our planet.

Yet, there was such joy when the youth of the world, in the bright clear Olympic flame, brought together the nations of the world in friendship.

In truth, does humanity need to spend so much money teaching the art of killing, rather than the art of healing? Indeed why have we not built more hospitals than churches, since we can pray to God anywhere but can’t perform operations in the gutter?

So much can be done but changing society for the benefit of all may be now beyond humanity, without revolution, misery and destruction.

However I believe all is not lost, as with courage, confidence and inspirational leadership, poverty, health and happiness along with the wellbeing of Planet Earth can be tackled, if the intrinsic goodwill of mankind rises to the challenge.

Grant Frazer, Newtonmore.