Sir, - I agree with Hugh Linehan (Vision, October 29th): the new Leaving Cert syllabus expects teachers to teach "a range of critical disciplines under the rubric of `language'," while, in effect, telling them to "forget the English bit". This was the thesis of an article I contributed to the theoretical journal of the Association of Secondary Teachers of Ireland ("Invitation to a Bookburning", Issues in Education, Vol. 3, 1998).
What is needed is a public campaign to put the "English bit" back into the Leaving. English is too important a matter to be left to experts, syllabus committees, or indeed, lowly regarded English teachers. - Yours, etc.,
Michael McCarthy, Teacher of English, Monkstown CBC, Co Dublin.