SIR, I was amazed that Scottish Borders Council Education Portfolio Holder Councillor Sandy Aitchison has concerns that the current average pupil to teacher ratio in the Borders has risen to 13.7, yes only 13.7!

I’m coming on 62 and I started education in the late 1950’s at the former Burgh School in Selkirk and in the combined primaries 1/2 and 3/4 the ratio was around 24 pupils per teacher.

In the early 1960’s I transferred to Knowepark Primary also in Selkirk where old class photographs show we had 30 pupils per teacher in primaries 5,6 and 7 respectively.

I can assure anybody that the now sadly late MIss Ferguson, Mrs Cuthbert and Miss Trotter the respective teachers of primaries 5, 6 and 7 had no teaching assistants like many teachers do nowadays and they carried out their duties single handed in a highly professionally manner and gave us a really good education that set us up for going on to the High School in 1965! Teachers nowadays don’t realise how easier things are for them.

I recommend that Councillor Aitchison might find a more worthy cause to take up something perhaps like the serious lack of job opportunities for school leavers both locally and nationally!

I am, etc.

Andrew Heatlie, Leslie Place, Selkirk.