Madam, - Your Editorial "Investing in Irish Education" (September 14th) is a timely reminder that we cannot afford to sit on our laurels.
If we increased our spending on education to the European norm we could more than afford to provide the computer and broadband facilities, the science laboratories and the sports and PE facilities which you mention.
There is a further item you forgot to mention; because of the huge increase in immigration from Eastern Europe there is a need to help these students to reach a competent standard in English before they go to secondary school.
As it stands, the teacher is expected to teach children who in some cases cannot understand spoken English. This is certainly not fair to them or to the students already in situ who are sometimes struggling to keep up.
It is disingenuous of the Minister to keep telling us that the amount spent on education has increased when she knows that in relative terms this is not the case. If she wants to keep our high literacy rates and improve our maths and science results she has no option but to spend more money, enough to reach the European average. - Yours, etc,
JOAN DORAN,
Sutton Park,
Dublin 13.