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The Herald Scotland

We must address the problem of over-management if we are to succeed

The same applies to nurses and teachers. We have improved the ability to diagnose illnesses and also the difficulties our children face with ADHD and the like. Whilst this is great news we haven't adapted to handling these new workloads and our nurses, police and teachers are struggling to cope. We are under-resourced at basic level whilst being way over-managed. We have also removed the power of people to make decisions without a fear of being sued, sacked or accused of some 'ism' or other. Private industry has similar challenges but is much more efficient and makes quicker decisions, especially as they are usually accountable to shareholders. The recent fiasco at Dundee University is a good example of something that would be very unlikely to happen in a PLC. All politicians need to address this massive problem of over-management if we are to retain our best workers and get the most for our cash. John Gilligan, Ayr. Read more letters Tree planting fall is shameful Picking up on the news the other day that tree planting in Scotland had predictably fallen away after funding was cut, it is useful to put another year of failure in context. I first became aware of tree planting targets in Scotland in 2006, with an ambition to plant 15,000 hectares of trees a year until 2040, which would have given us 25 per cent woodland cover. The objectives then were to increase our timber supplies, create more woodland habitat, and get people out and about walking in woodland to help the NHS by getting them fitter. The following year, after the film, An Inconvenient Truth, we started hearing about carbon and climate change mitigation as well. Since then, the target has only been achieved in one year, and the accumulated deficit (I know, I keep a spreadsheet of it) is now 152,000 hectares, or 305 million trees if planted at an average of 2,000 per hectare. The accumulated failure is colossal. That is, trees that agreed policy suggested that we should plant, but we did not. The responsibility for this rests completely with the Scottish Government for (1) not making sufficient funding available, and (2) not having processes and mechanisms in place which would allow us to efficiently license this additional woodland area. What this tells us is that the environment in Scotland is not important to our politicians, regardless of what they say about it. I hope people remember that next time we are subjected to their virtue signalling on climate change mitigation. They are not even starting to get the basics right. Victor Clements, Aberfeldy. We need Scottish National Degrees Now that the new Education (Scotland) Bill has passed the final stage of debate, anyone reading it will wonder why they bothered since it seems a charter for maintaining stasis. The new agency, Qualifications Scotland, will doubtless have the sins of the father handed down to it. Strictly speaking, I take the view that the actual delivery of qualifications is provided by schools and colleges with only the accreditation for their courses being conferred by this new body and this should have been embedded in the new title. In this respect I suggest the new agency should in law have taken steps to address the disparity in values we are stuck with due to a series of historical accidents which split courses which are characterised as purely academic from those with the practical application of knowledge and understanding. As we have seen in many other organisations, the claim of ownership can be a toxic demarcation. In order to attempt to address this issue I feel the new agency should design and offer Scottish National Degrees at a national standard both at general and subject level for delivery within all colleges. For too long we have accepted independence within the university system and an assumed supremacy in educational standards. I fear however that in forming this new Qualifications Scotland body we have missed a golden opportunity to press for one game and one set of rules on the educational playing field. Bill Brown, Milngavie. Lecturer posts should be reduced Several universities in Scotland are in a severe financial position and having to consider redundancies. Part of this is due to a reduction in foreign students paying large fees which in the past allowed high salaries to be paid to university staff. Now these staff are demonstrating against the cuts. After a pay deal, financed by the Scottish Government of £4.5 million of additional funding, lecturers will receive starting salaries of nearly £42,000 from September 2025. Senior lecturers will get more than £50,000. Perhaps those striking could hold up placards saying "I am only getting £42,000 but deserve more" and see the public response. It is the Scottish taxpayers who fund part of the university staff salaries. The public sector and universities should not be closeted from reality and job cuts are obviously needed to balance the books. Clark Cross, Linlithgow. Tree planting targets have been missed (Image: PA) Our NHS can be woeful I was interested to see Andy Maciver remove the rose-coloured spectacles about our 'wonderful' NHS ("Time to talk about debunking the NHS as a national cult", The Herald, June 27). In the last eight years I have been in hospital five times and on each occasion mistakes (some more serious than others) were made in my treatment. Doctors (including consultants) and nurses need better supervision so that patients do not require unnecessary additional hospital visits. Marion Carson, Dunblane. Venice Lagoon or Whiting Bay? Forty million pounds. That's how much the billionaire Jeff Bezos spent on his obscenely lavish wedding in Venice. Maybe the Scottish Government could have persuaded him to buy a working ferry and have the wedding on Arran. Ian Smith, Troon.