Sir, – I read Carl O'Brien's article "OECD finds literacy an issue among university students" (January 30th) with great dismay.
The OECD reports that Irish university students have some of the poorest literacy and numeracy skills in the developed world. About 20 per cent of Irish university graduates can manage basic literacy and numeracy tasks such as understanding the instructions on a bottle of aspirin, but struggle with more complex tasks.
I would expect a primary school pupil to be able to read and understand the instructions on a bottle of aspirin.
But these 20 per cent of university graduates have passed their Junior and Leaving Cert examinations at second level followed by four years of university examinations. However, they are clearly learning little or nothing, which prompts the question – what is being assessed by all these examinations and how is it being assessed? – Yours, etc,
WILLIAM REVILLE,
Emeritus Professor
of Biochemistry,
University College Cork.