Britain's Greek tragedy

What a blow to civilised life - only 200 pupils do Greek A-level

WILSON

There is a historical curve. In the 16th century, British people started to learn Greek. From those times until they stopped doing so, what we call civilisation prospered. Elizabeth I read Greek easily. Made jokes in the language. From her days down to the 1970s, when educationalists began to bugger up the education of the poor, ‘the elite' in Britain were, to put it in a nutshell, those who knew Greek. This included thousands of grammar-school children from poor backgrounds. I was taught by such people. Now ‘the elite' are know-nothings, with degrees in PPE or business studies. The Great Tradition is over. A few weeks before Christmas, a professor of social mobility at Exeter University, one Lee Elliot Major, asked for education to be aimed at working-class students. Rather…

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The Oldie (Digital) - 1 Issue, January 2025

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