Sir, - The secondary school system has been brought to its knees by the withdrawal of voluntary labour and after 80 years of independence and billions of pounds spent by successive governments on the national language, can anybody out there guess what is one of the most difficult subject teachers for a school to find? Yes, you've got it in one. It's an Irish teacher. The Department of Education would appear to be more of a hindrance than a help to our school system. As your Education Editor, Mr Flynn, put it so succinctly last Friday: "The wonder is that teachers put up with this for so long". - Yours, etc.,
Jim O'Brien, Beechmount, Navan, Co Meath.