I've also noticed the suspicious and often negative attitude towards education in the UK and Scotland (I'm in Scotland).
I'm a lawyer. In nearly all other European countries, its standard for lawyers to do masters degrees after their undergraduate degrees before going into the workplace. In the UK, its standard to do a 3 year degree with a one year very practical diploma afterwards, or you can qualify while working. It's very different here - when I took a year out to do my masters, although it expanded my knowledge hugely and made me a much better lawyer, I was aware that I was committing almost certain career suicide unless I wanted to work abroad.
I taught at a university for a couple of years before my training contract, and it was always remarked upon with some suspicion, as in "oh Incandescent will be too educated for this" when working in the firm. In every other European country, legal academics'opinions are sought after by practising lawyers and there is plenty of work crossover. In thus country, there is a huge division maintained between the two.
This is amongst lawyers, for goodness sake! It's also well known that in Scottish academia now, if you want your contract renewed, you can't write articles that are too critical of the Scottish Government. They won't get published anyway, as they often have to be approved by the Principal who knows nothing about your subject but everything about politics and keeping in favour.
Don't get me started on the lack of basic writing skills, or basic political discussion where tolerance is a thing that other countries do. It's saddening that my non university educated friends abroad are able to discuss fairly eloquently in a foreign language the relative merits and de merits of their own political system in some detail, compared to the badly spelled intolerant ranting that passes for the same amongst my countrymen, who simply cannot grasp the dangers of a unicameral parliament and weak seoeratiin of powers, but who instead chant, devotedly, "Nicola is doing a great job".