Sir, – I enjoyed reading Stephen O'Brien's warning about the dangers of free-market principles dominating third-level education ("We don't need no free-market education", Education Opinion, February 23rd). I share his implicit fear that Irish universities will simply become training institutes for multinational corporations.
However, I would remind the author that it is only in private universities that traditional subjects continue to flourish.
Looking at the subject of classics, there are over a dozen US private universities that devote more resources to the subject than their Irish “competitors”.
A free-market model simply allows students and faculty to chose to devote time to any subject they wish.
It is when the state dominates education that the so-called “useless” subjects are most at risk. – Yours, etc,
WILLIAM PRASIFKA,
Dublin 4.