Quality not quantity
Sir: Of the self-inflicted wounds from which this country's financial life-blood at present gushes, the most ill-judged and dangerous is undoubtedly education. Allow me to put for- ward for argument the undermentioned propo- sitions: I. That the quality of much of state educa- tion is abominable.
2. That all of it, bad or not, costs far too much.
3. That too many persons are being educated beyond their intellectual capacity.
These outrageous statements, earnest souls will be pained to learn, have bases in fact. As to proposition I, examine any clerical work beyond that of bare routine. It will be found to be ill-spelt, ungrammatical, lacking coher- ence of thought in nine cases out of ten. As to 2, we spend £2,500 million per annum already and the cost goes on rising. As to 3, a glance at Tv or newspaper suffices to demon- strate this point beyond argument.
Before I am overwhelmed by the inevitable cataract of abuse, may I finally put myself__
outside the pale by reminding my fellow- countrymen that quality is always to be pre- ferred to quantity? Sadly undemocratic, no doubt, but an awkward fact of life.
John Palmer 44 Shaef Way, Sandy Lane, Twickenham, Middlesex
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