Madam, - Your report of June 7th, "Retraining proposals disturb colleges", requires clarification. For many years our two colleges have provided courses enabling graduates from a range of professional backgrounds to qualify as primary teachers. In the current year, we have almost 600 such graduates, including many secondary teachers, taking our postgraduate diploma course.
These graduates enrich the teaching profession. We are happy to explore flexible ways of facilitating them. However, in considering possible new initiatives, we also have to ensure the maintenance of the highest possible standards and to avoid any erosion of the hard-won status of professional qualifications for primary teaching. - Yours, etc.,
Dr PAURIC TRAVERS, President, St Patrick's College, Drumcondra, Dublin 9; Dr PEADAR CREMIN, President, Mary Immaculate College, Limerick.