Sir, - It is high time that we exposed the hypocrisy of spokespersons from multinational companies and successive Ministers for Education when they make endless appeals to students to undertake courses in the hard sciences. Any ambitious school-goer has only to follow the career path of an acquaintance who has been through the undergraduate (four years), postgraduate (five years) and post-doctoral) preparation required for an industrial career in biology, chemistry or physics or count the number of job offers in The Irish Times which refer to science to conclude that a two-year certificate course in IT, marketing or electronics is a much better and easier prospect for making one's way in this tiger economy.
If the present economic boom is based exclusively on services and manufacturing and not on those areas which require people with qualifications in science,then so be it. Let us at least be honest with our children. If Irish industry wants science graduates then it should go ahead and advertise the vacancies - and Mr Martin should give the cliches a rest until the next election. - Yours, etc.
Tom Power, Dunmore Road, Waterford.