Education: Helping our students become strong leaders

In my years of teaching HSC English, I had a total of seven students fail. Six would easily have passed VCE, and the seventh would have done so with a bit more effort. Every year 8 class that I have ever taught would also easily pass VCE English. It is true that lowering the standard has resulted in many more students staying on to year 12, which is to their benefit. However, we ought to be able to guarantee the community that everyone who has completed 13 years of school can read, write and perhaps do arithmetic.

Chris Curtis, Hurstbridge

It's time for parents to say: 'This is not good enough'

Yet another report about an increase in the proportion of students who are failing to meet international baseline levels in maths, science and reading (The Age, 26/2). Federal Education Minister Simon Birmingham says parents need to do more to turn this around. However, the underlying problem is almost certainly related to teacher quality. Every day, hundreds of dedicated teachers are being asked to teach out of field.

In the short-term, parents will have to accept out-of-field teaching. In regard to maths teaching, and probably in physics and chemistry, this has been increasing for more than 30 years. It cannot be remedied quickly. But it has gone on for too long. Parents must insist that state and federal governments give these teachers the extra discipline studies they need.

Jan Thomas, North Melbourne

The shock of being ousted from our comfort zones

Former NSW education minister Adrian Piccoli says students with English-speaking backgrounds are falling behind those from non-English speaking backgrounds because of cultural complacency born of the Lucky Country's years of economic growth and abundant natural resources (The Age, 22/2). He also says many parents care more about sport than education.

Ironically, it may also be that certain positive aspects of Anglo-Australian culture (born of a Judeo-Christian heritage and the common weal) resulted in a country where justice and concern for the rights and wellbeing of the individual and society were sought. Thus life is not a desperate, competitive fight for survival. When those from such a society come up against those who need to strive, fight and compete for what is available, the complacent will awaken to the shock of finding themselves ousted from their comfort zones.

Deborah Morrison, Malvern East

THE FOCUS

Questions about cases

So Assistant Commissioner Brett Guerin has resigned after a messy week for Victoria Police. But was it of his own volition or was he pushed, and from how high up? His trolling on the internet forced him to stand down, the type of gesture that usually suffices until the story blows over. It could have washed over as a good joke all around – except that he was the head of Professional Standards Command. He was in a position thought to be beyond reproach.

This is the body charged with investigating police malfeasance, misconduct and, most importantly, complaints made by citizens against police. How many cases were investigated on his watch? Surely any findings should be invalidated and reopened. But again it is the same old story: police investigating police, bishops investigating priests, politicians investigating politicians, and magistrates investigating magistrates. And always the same outcome.

John Corry, Campbells Creek

Safe technology for all

Martin Stewart,who is blind, finds it difficult to use an "Albert" eftpos machine (The Age, 26/2). This problem also affects those people with poor hand control (cerebral palsy, arthritis, Parkinson's, stroke patients etc).

A spokesperson for the Commonwealth Bank says it "worked collaboratively with our technology partners, accessibility specialists and individuals with a range of vision loss, including Vision Australia". Why then did it roll out a machine that has no keyboard for touch reference? The same problem must exist with "smart ATMs" which are screen-touch only - that is, no side buttons as a tactile aid.

The needs of those who cannot see visual markers, hear audio prompts or use fingers to easily to operate a keyboard are left in a vulnerable position. Like Mr Stewart, they may have to give someone else their PIN to operate the device. We need to make financial-transaction technology easily accessible for everyone.

Kaye Gooch, Prahran

Very user-friendly

Your story about the Commonwealth Bank's touch screens and the difficulties they pose for the vision impaired could not act as a better example of the continued lack of interest of the bank in its clients/customers. Did it not "product test" this before rollout? I am fully sighted and I find the screens to be very user-unfriendly, slow to respond to touch, and difficult to change directives if you have made a mistake.

Carmel Boyle, Wendouree

Who's the boss here?

Why isn't the secretive agreement between the Liberal and National parties being released to the public (The Age, 27/2)? Particularly now as a new deputy prime minister, whom hardly anyone knows, has been installed by a party that hardly anyone votes for. The National Party's tail is wagging the Coalition dog.

Ross Crawford, Frankston

Rural support for gays

In 1993, Michael McCormack wrote in a local newspaper: "Unfortunately gays are here and, if the disease their unnatural acts helped spread doesn't wipe out humanity, they're here to stay". Today he is our proud Deputy Prime Minister.

As someone who was born and raised in the country, I know many respected farming families with gay sons and daughters who are loved and accepted. Homophobia is not a "rural value". The first vote that I cast at the age of 18 was for the Nationals, when they stood for the regions, not cruel and callous hate-mongering.

Alastair McKenzie, Omeo

Sense in old, green ways

Peter Cox suggests that take-away food shops should ban plastic and polystyrene containers (Comment, 26/2). Some did the right thing, probably for economic reasons, in the 1950s and 1960s. My father would take our saucepans to pick up cooked food from the Chinese cafe in Whitehorse Road, Balwyn.

Margaret Jacobs, Aireys Inlet

Rights and responsibilities

I agree that violence against hospital staff (The Age, 27/2) is unacceptable. Several years ago, a relative, suffering from frontal lobe dementia, made threats against his specialist doctor, who informed his wife that he would no longer treat her husband. However the doctor declined to advise her where else she could seek help for him. I find that also unacceptable. Where does one find a balance?

Name withheld, Sunbury

Support the regions

Infant birthweight is adversely impacted by the poor physical and mental health of expectant parents who may be experiencing poverty, drug and alcohol use, obesity, poor nutrition, stress and depression. Babies are being born into Latrobe Valley families (The Age, 26/2) that have suffered inter-generational unemployment, have little money and lack hope that their circumstances will improve. It may take a village to raise a child, but what will it take for Victorian and federal governments, of all political flavours, to treat seriously the valley's long-term unemployment and related decline in our regional economy? Low birthweight is not just about what comes out of power station chimney stacks, or mine fire emissions, but the competence, compassion and social justice of government policies.

Cheryl Wragg, Moe

Waiting for the next U-turn

Two months ago, Malcolm Turnbull turned a blind eye to Barnaby Joyce's personal issues when he was campaigning in New England with him and celebrating the byelection win – but then took a moral position when it became political expedient.

Mr Turnbull and his colleagues also turn a blind eye to the indefinite incarceration of asylum seekers (most have proven refugee status and some have spent up to nine years in detention), plus the ever restrictive visiting rules at detention centres, under the "no comment on security issues" policy. How long will it be before he does a U-turn and takes a moral position on the plight of asylum seekers and refugees?

Norman and Lorraine Broad, Gisborne

Celebrate, don't destroy

While I wait for the demolition of the impressive glass tower and chimney on the former APM site at Alphington, I wonder why we have a Heritage Council. Any state planning minister – whether Richard Wynne now or Matthew Guy in the past – can overrule the council's recommendations, and the decision rarely runs against the wishes of the developer.

In this case, the developer is making a mistake as these are the kind of industrial buildings being celebrated in cities more visually sophisticated than ours, such as Berlin, London and Brooklyn. The glass building could be a landmark and a great drawcard for an otherwise bland housing estate.

Meg Williams, Alphington

Hard-earned doctorates

Mitchell Landrigan is right to be concerned about the number of honorary doctorates handed out to unworthy recipients, thus debasing the academic currency (Comment, 27/2). However, when I see all the dentists and vets who have adopted the title "doctor", I think that it is probably too late. In the words of W.S.Gilbert: "When everybody is somebody, then nobody is anybody."

Rob Willis (PhD, earned), Wheelers Hill

No right to be "Doctor"

There is a clear distinction between degrees which are awarded by a university for a body of work it judges to be equivalent to that achieved by a candidate going through its regular examination processes, and honorary degrees, usually doctorates, awarded for being prominent and/or rich, to people or entities such as Kermit the Frog or the Joyces, Barnaby or Alan. It is widely understood, perhaps even mandatory, that recipients of the latter merely have to look pleased, and cannot use them as basis for the title "doctor". The former, rightly, can.

Peter Towns, Drouin

Dangerous 'missions'

As the Prime Minister wrapped up his US visit, it was "Mission Accomplished" (The Age, 26/2). The last "mission accomplished" was when Neville Chamberlain returned from his meeting with Hitler in 1938. And we all know how that "panned out".

John Russell, Bonbeach

Parenting driven by fear

Does Jenna Price seriously believes that authoritarian parenting and lowering expectations of happiness is the way to prepare children for the world or is she just stirring the pot (Opinion 27/2)?.

The "tiger mother" ideology is thwarted by the thousands upon thousands of successful, famous people from the past and present who did not require an authoritarian parenting style to achieve their vocational passion with humility and happiness.

I think this style of parenting is driven by an anxiety-ridden fear of failure to achieve unrealistic expectations and that their children will be social outcasts if they do not play three musical instruments and master five languages by the time they are 10. Surely this leads to unhappy adults who burn out prematurely because they were corralled into achieving the dreams and lofty expectations of their parents, and discouraged from following their own natural vocational passion.

Paul Miller, Box Hill South

Clamp down on coughing

I have belatedly test-ridden the elevated rail from the recently opened Noble Park station and was favourably impressed, as were your interviewees (The Age, 16/2). The level-crossings removal policy is sound. Now all Premier Daniel Andrews has to do is stop commuters coughing and sneezing over their fellow travellers and this year's election should be a shoo-in.

Mal Park, Noble Park

Two is one too many

It is not so much the loss of Red Symons, although I do miss him. Rather, it is the idea of a "duo", a la commercial radio stations, which compelled me to abandon 774, after more than 60years and tune into Radio National.

Maria Ambrosi, Essendon

AND ANOTHER THING

Red Symons

Red has left the studio. I have left the station.

Leo Doyle, Bundoora

I, too, lament the departure of Redmond. Smiles and chuckles are needed.

Clare Iacono, Northcote

I've tried, but failed, to enjoy the new team. It just isn't working. RN for me.

Hetha Hill, Croydon

To all those who are upset 774 parted ways with Red: Time to get over it.

James Moseley, Frankston

Radio National is fantastic but 774 needs an infusion of Red.

Lorraine Kimm, Gladysdale

Red may have brought about his own demise by crossing the line several times.

Peter McNamara, Canterbury

Politics

Would those two boys at the back of the class please stop whispering.

Ross Barker, Lakes Entrance

We have a deputy PM from a party supported by 17per cent of the electorate.

Robert Ness, Middle Park

The Coalition has got its band back together but, as with the Titanic, it will go down, come the election.

Kim van den Berghe, Highton

Amanda, I assume the Nationals are included as a minor party.Corrie Macartney, Mont Albert North

Certainly Turnbull performed well with Trump. When it comes to the US, our PM is a puppet on a string.

Leigh Ackland, Deepdene

Furthermore

My Croydon bike group is reluctant to call itself the VOMITS (Very Old Men in Tights).

Bruce Cormack, Kilsyth

I'm a SOGIL (Sprightly Older Gentleman in Lycra). My wife think Silly Old Goat in Lycra is more applicable.

Ray Martin, Creswick

Some idiot is graffiting "Free Assange" in South Melbourne – but doesn't say where to get it.

Roy Anderson, South Melbourne

The stolen footwear case has been solved. A "shoe-in" as the cops went in, boots and all in a PR coup.

Jim McLeod, Sale

To submit a letter to The Age, email letters@theage.com.au. Please include your home address and telephone number.