FoI folly

In their tireless attempts to create a society in its own image, the SNP seeks control over the ethos of education and parenting. That’s why they seek to skew university governing bodies towards their own philosophy, and they want government agents to check that parents are bringing up their children according to state principles, overruling where necessary.

They also seek to reduce parents’ opportunities to opt for a different philosophy of education in distinct schools by pressurising all schools, even non-government-funded ones, to adhere to the official state educational principles.

Meanwhile, overall educational standards are falling in key areas. The SNP are not overly concerned by this, however, as reducing the “attainment gap” is their primary measure of 
success.

Being experts in stirring grievance and resentment, the SNP inevitably target independent schools.

Forcing such schools to comply with Freedom of Information (FoI) requests (your report, 25 September) would be bizarre.

Independent schools are already exposed to intense scrutiny from numerous government agencies.

Allowing FoI demands would just allow any embittered activist with a computer and few minutes to spare to fire off a spurious FoI request that could then cost a school considerable time, and therefore money, to fulfil.

Producing well-educated citizens at no cost to the taxpayer is a double bonus to a nation. However, for the SNP, no opportunity to scrape in a few extra votes by breeding resentment and then exploiting it is to be passed up.

Richard Lucas

Broomyknowe

Edinburgh