Sir, – The ESRI warning that cutbacks in the provision of homework clubs, after-school activities and crisis counselling for disadvantaged students are seriously damaging educational outcomes ("School completion programme under threat due to funding cuts", October 7th) comes at a time when the Government seems hell-bent on splurging €210 million on computers and other unproven electronic gadgetry ("Government wants to put wifi networks into classrooms as part of €210m digital strategy", October 7th).
Many top primary schools in the US are removing computers from the classroom, as they are a proven hindrance to learning and comprehension.
Why are we reducing investment in proven educational strategies such as homework clubs, but spending money on electronic gadgetry which is proven to be counterproductive to learning? – Yours, etc,
JOHN DEVLIN,
Dublin 2.