Mao Tse’s tongue

TO QUOTE Nicola Sturgeon: “Evidence suggests early language learning improves literacy and that young children learn languages more easily.” (Your report, 27 July on Mandarin teaching in Scottish schools, and Letters, 28 July.) This from the SNP government which has engineered a 40 per cent drop in the number of language qualifications achieved by school pupils and a catastrophic fall in literacy standards at every level in primary school. What evidence would that be, Nicola?

We can only assume that the introduction of Mandarin into primary schools will be every bit as successful as every other SNP education policy. The early indoctrination of young people by Chinese teachers with a distinctly political agenda is simply the icing on the cake.

Carole Ford

Former president

School Leaders Scotland

Terregles Avenue, Glasgow