Illiterate students

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33973, 14 October 1975, Page 20

Illiterate students

Sir, — Criticisms of the standard of written English among students have been increasing both locally and overseas. They reflect the feeling that reaction against rote learning (spelling, punctuation, etc) has gone too far. Our education had less of this than most countries, anyway. In other words, educational theory had strayed too far from society’s requirements. One very serious weakness in written and spoken English was very well satirised in your Thursday paper; using the official report on the planning of Rolleston new town,

your writer showed how the simplest, everyday words or phrases were replaced by multi-syllable expressions that could only camouflage, cloud and bewilder. It is time, in the interests of precise writing and speaking, that our pupils be taught the dangers of woolly thinking and woolly expression, as used by advertisers, bureaucrats, politicians and even “educationalists.” Must simplicity be confined to fourletter words? — Yours, etc., V. F. WILKINSON. October 12, 1975.

Sir, — Congratulations again on your editorial “Illiterate Students.” I agree, more (highly paid) university staff ought not to be required to teach remedial English to our students. We have enough of these people motoring around already attempting to salvage the wreckage in our primary schools. Poor performance of our students is caused by the shaky philosphy of education in our junior schools where the inspectors and advisers have insisted that schooling must be child-cen-tred, not teacher-directed. In my view the appointment of “curriculum development” officers is a move that should be closely scrutinised by Mr Tizard. There has been too much of this so called “development.” Most practising teachers want no more than just to be left alone. In fact the successful teacher ignores modern theory and this leaves him free to settle down to some serious teaching. Promotion of course is another matter. That’s usually for the bandwaggoner. —Yours, etc., EDUCATION IN DECLINE. October 12, 1975.