GERARD McNAMEE,
Madam, - We teachers of Classics at St Malachy's College, Belfast, all graduates of Queen's, feel we must add our voices to the growing storm at the university's deplorable decision to phase out the teaching of classical languages.
Our college has taught classical subjects for almost 170 years. Interest in Greek and Roman civilisation continues to grow. At present we have 23 students studying Latin at senior level and 48 studying Classical Civilisation. Must our students be deprived of the opportunity of studying these subjects at degree level here in the North of Ireland because of this abrupt and illogical decision by a myopic university administration?
Far from being "peripheral", this subject area is fundamental to the understanding of our common European heritage, surely more important now than ever before.
This flawed resolution diminishes Queen's in the eyes of the academic world, especially when the quality of the department's teaching is beyond question (scoring 23 out of 24 in the British Government's teaching quality assessment).
We hope the university authorities will yet have sufficient wisdom and foresight to reverse a proposal which would serve only to impoverish intellectually both the institution and the society it springs from. - Yours, etc.,
GERARD McNAMEE, PADRAIG CRUMMEY, Father GERARD MAGEE, BRENDAN BURNS, St Malachy's College, Antrim Road,
Belfast 15.