No to school cuts

There are rumours afoot of "reduced" front-line education cuts in Edinburgh, of 1.9 per cent instead of the current official proposal of 2.5 per cent. I regard this as mere manoeuvring, rather than a serious engagement with the problem.

With staff salaries and building costs increasing, any front-line cuts would fall drastically on other areas of vital education spending. Of particular concern is reduced staff training – not ideal at the best of times, critical with the imminent introduction of the Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) – and the elimination of foreign language assistants. There are also reports that exam presentations could suffer, as well as subject choice.

Treasury and international studies have clearly shown what every parent knows: quality education is the best form of sustainable investment known to mankind both for the individuals concerned and society as a whole. Conversely, we all pay the price of poor education for a long time, sometimes for generations.

If they are serious about education, all political parties represented on the city council must prioritise the available financial resources and bring forward credible budget proposals that leave front-line school budgets at 2009-10 levels and allow schools to continue to implement CfE with appropriately increased resources.

HARALD TOBERMANN

Pilrig Street

Edinburgh