Letters: GCSE results and West Yorkshire Mayor are put under the spotlight by readers

David Leyshon, Wakefield

As an ex-college lecturer and schoolteacher, I sympathise with those young people who’ve been upset by the downgrading of their exam results, but surely some reality – and honesty - is permitted to counter the naïve politicising of this issue?

Of course, government policies on education have an influence, but teachers are responsible too. First, marking exams is rarely an exact science, particularly in subjects like English or history where opinions, rather than just brute facts, influence the exam markers’ judgements.

An element of subjectivity cannot always be eliminated, and that applies to course assessment as well as exams –even in mathematics and science!

Those at the very top and those at the opposite end are not the real victims, but those near the borderline. I remember, when marking GCSE work, being told to mark “a bit more generously” one year. That came directly from the examination board, concerned that nationally our regional marks were lower than they should be.

That wasn’t a political decision, but one taken by teachers – and I can’t remember anyone objecting at all. I can also remember ‘internal’ marking (within an institution), where staff were sometimes urged by senior staff to ‘up’ the marks. League tables have only made a fragile situation even worse.

The recent cases have sent out shockwaves, because it’s been about lowering – rather than raising – grades.

Also, one gets the impression that everyone is desperate to go to university.

As usual, further education, and vocational training, are downgraded, as if schools and universities are essentially the real deliverers of ‘education’ whilst FE colleges are only about getting jobs, acquiring life skills, etc.

I know that FE is where many students study ‘A’ levels but, as someone who did most of his teaching in Further Education, I can remember comments from school teachers, implying that lecturers were not “real” teachers.

Finally, it’s an easy equation – that education equals what goes on (mainly) in schools, forgetting those words of Albert Einstein: Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learnt in school.

That might have been said in jest, but Churchill and Einstein only really ‘shone’ after they’d left school.

Schools ARE important, but let’s not exaggerate that importance.

Peter Judge, via email

In May of next year, the people of West Yorkshire will have the opportunity to vote for their first ever directly elected mayor.

A devolution deal has been agreed, which will see some powers and funds returned to West Yorkshire from central government, on condition that these are managed by a directly elected mayor.

I say, ‘returned’ because until March 31 1986 there was a democratically elected West Yorkshire County Council.

However, this was abolished by the then Tory government under Thatcher, along with neighbouring South Yorkshire County Council and others.

And why? For purely political envy.

Whilst some responsibilities were devolved to the district councils, others were starved of cash, and some, buses and trains in particular, were privatised.

This new devolution deal stops short of creating a truly democratic council for West Yorkshire, but is, of course, a foundation for future progress. And in the deal is limited funding for, “collaboration at a Yorkshire level”.

What is clear, is that Yorkshire, with a population of around five million – roughly the same as Scotland – needs its own democratically elected assembly, or even parliament.

Whilst the new mayor will have much other work to do, not least putting right our broken public transport system; it is essential that they also have a commitment to the ultimate abolition of their own role of mayor, and its replacement by a democratically elected Yorkshire assembly.

Brenda Batty, via email

I CANNOT believe that parents are being urged not to gossip at the school gates. Why on earth not?

As long they follow the social distancing rules, I can find no reason for them not to be able to pass the time of day. For some parents it may be the only time they have the chance to speak to anyone.

They could, of course, retire to the nearest coffee shop and put the world to rights.

Our civil liberties are being slowly eroded, and I cannot foresee any time when they will be restored. Communities are being torn apart.

Can we please have some uplifting news rather than all the negativity?

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