WHAT’S BASIC TO BASICS?

Press, 27 August 1977, Page 14

WHAT’S BASIC TO BASICS?

By

WHIM WHAM

“Can they spell, can they read and speak well, what are their arithmetic and mathematics like? Is too much emphasis put on liberal studies at the expense of the basics? —Mr Muldoon. “There are more youngsters leaving school unable to effectively read and write . . .”—Mr Rowling He reads, he writes, all Kinds of Stuff. His Spelling’s accurate enough, His other Basics aren’t too bad. He can subtract, and He can add, In Metric Quantities he makes No really serious Mistakes, He speaks our Language — with assorted Variants, native and imported — He’s EDUCATED, as We say — Indeed. I heard the other Day, He’s just completed his BA, BCom, or was it LLB? Which proves, or ought to prove, that He Has all the Basics that He needs. He calculates, He writes, He reads! He knows three Rs — if there were Four His Knowledge would be so much More — They did their Best with him at School, Yet BASICALLY the Man’s a Fool, Or worse, I hate to say It, but In my Opinion — He’s a Nut! A literate Nut, like Half the Nation, On whom the Effect of Education Is chiefly This, and Little else — They rattle noisily in their Shells. I don’t mean Bill, I don’t mean Rob: Of course THEY rattle, it’s their Job. Beyond the Basics, as It were. How do You think we’re doing, Sir? I leave one sobering Thought with You — Less harm is done by Children who Don’t know thfiir Rs, than Men who do! y