Help Sitemap Home Skip Navigation Contact Us Disability Statement


Scots writers are expelled from schools in education shake-up

Click on thumbnail to view image
Click on thumbnail to view image
Click on thumbnail to view image
Click on thumbnail to view image
Click on thumbnail to view image

Published Date: 30 March 2009
By KURT BAYER
CLASSIC works by Scottish literary giants, including Robert Burns, have been banned from schools in England.
Under new guidelines for the GCSE qualifications, pupils in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, will study authors from their own nations.

The move will mean pupils will never have to read works by great Scottish writers, including Burns, Rober
t Louis Stevenson, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

According to the new guidelines for English, pupils in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, must read at least one text by a native author.

The English Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, which has drawn up the specifications for the GCSE set to be taught from September 2010, said Scottish authors were not required reading because they wanted students to read works from their own nation state.

But critics argued there was no need to break down British literary heritage into nationalities, with the risk of pupils being denied the chance to read classics including Treasure Island, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, and Tam O'Shanter.

Liz Smith, the Scottish Tories education spokeswoman said: "I am disappointed and slightly surprised by this decision."

Nick Seaton, of the Campaign for Real Education, said: "It is ridiculous that we are ignoring the heritage of British authors in favour of separate states."





Page 1 of 1

  • Last Updated: 29 March 2009 10:45 PM
  • Source: The Scotsman
  • Location: Edinburgh
 
1

Helene,

Ontario, Canada 30/03/2009 03:19:45
To try to divide literature into the four countries that make up the UK is foolishness. The great works of literature transcend boundaries. If you can't manage to read Burns in the Scots vernacular, just read it in standard English. The message will still be abundantly clear. It's the same with Shakespeare, with many complaining that the archaic style of English is too difficult.
2

Kate,

Zurich 30/03/2009 07:44:21
That is ridiculous! Some of what Burns and Scott as well as Conan Doyle and others, wrote is beautifully expressed prose of the highest quality. Does this stupidity mean that Scots schoolchildren will no longer be required to read Shakespeare, Blake, Sassoon, Milton etc?
3

Los Angeles,

30/03/2009 08:44:07

April Fools!!!! - a little early.


Considering English broadcasting companies have made drama series of the novelists' works, and still repeating them to this day, there is no way their educational system could ever deny the authors existed by their books.

LoL


4

EmbraJack,

30/03/2009 08:58:36
So the actual story - pupils must read at least one text by a native author - gets reported as 'Burns banned from English schools'.

Pathetic, dismal reporting.
5

SandyBottoms,

Edinburgh 30/03/2009 12:03:00
Helene, obviously you haven't picked up on the number of English phrases, words and sayings that are derived from solely from Shakespeare. And you, as a North American, should be well-aware of that, being that for years the only things people read were the Bible and Shakespeare. If you want "archaic" try Chaucer or Beowulf. Now THAT needs a translation.

 

Comment on this Story

 

In order to post comments you must Register or Sign In

 
 
RSS Feed of this article's comments
Delivery formats: RSS, Atom, Javascript & Email
 
  

 
 


Sister Newspapers:
Press Complaints Commission

This website and its associated newspaper adheres to the Press Complaints Commission’s Code of Practice. If you have a complaint about editorial content which relates to inaccuracy or intrusion, then contact the Editor by clicking here.

If you remain dissatisfied with the response provided then you can contact the PCC by clicking here.