Williamson no worse!

Martin Fletcher appears to think the incompetent Gavin Williamson is unusual among Tory education secretaries because "he had few obvious qualifications for the post", with even his being "one of only two education secretaries to have attended a comprehensive school" only a reason for ridicule rather than suitability (The dunce of Westminster, 5 January). Of course, as Mary Bousted says, "teachers have no confidence in him" and hold him "in contempt", but in my 40+ years of teaching, there wasn`t one Tory Secretary of State for Education, and very few from Labour, who had the necessary relevant experience in education, and who furthermore didn`t incur the wrath of teachers. From Margaret Thatcher to Michael Gove, in a job where the display of a total disregard for teachers` expertise and experience is an absolute prerequisite, it`s clear that not one of those Tory education secretaries would have coped with this crisis any more capably than the present incumbent. . Of course, Williamson should have provided the necessary laptops for remote learning by now. but if the Tories are so concerned about the education of disadvantaged pupils as they now claim, shouldn`t his predecessors have provided the necessary technology years ago, let alone refrained from removing the Education Maintenance Grant? Can anyone actually remember anything the two previous education secretaries did at all, not to mention improving state education? Williamson, albeit a convenient "patsy" for the prime minister, has achieved what is expected of all Tory politicians given the job, and ensured the top universities are still dominated by students from private schools, despite only 7% attending them."Poor decisions made on inadequate evidence" are simply par for the course!