Scottish education in freefall to mediocrity? Not at all'

A letter from Edinburgh author Eric Melvin pushes back against criticism that Scottish education is “in freefall to mediocrity,” arguing that disappointing results come with major context. Melvin cites the withdrawal of support available during his teaching career, including the removal of Subject Principal Teacher posts and the disbanding of Local Authority Advisory Services that ran in-service courses. He contrasts Scotland with his grandchildren’s schooling in Tokyo, describing longer school days and weekends of study, plus heavy pressure that he links to a Japanese welfare ministry report showing student suicides reaching a record high in 2025: 532 deaths. Melvin also highlights positives in Scotland, including improved national exam outcomes, 100% of leavers entering a positive destination, pupil parliament involvement, Duke of Edinburgh Awards for 60 students, and 50 languages spoken at one local high school.