Sir, - I work in the field of adult education in some of the less salubrious parts of town and write to concur with the views expressed by John Gallagher (June 12th).
Heroin is indeed a scourge affecting all tiers of society. The drug problem has tainted communities such as Ballyfermot and Inchicore as being drug-ridden areas to be avoided at all cost. It is difficult to change this reputation and some of my students believe they have no chance of getting a job interview because of the address shown on their CVs.
The reality is that in these disadvantaged areas there are decent people doing honest work in an effort to give their own children a better standard of living than they have themselves, largely as a result of inadequate education. In the Return to Education programme which we run for community employment workers and young adults in drug rehabilitation, we seek to enhance literacy and provide computer skills.
The growth in the information technology sector is greatly to be welcomed as an area which can equalise opportunities for all classes of society.
Our students of all ages are very receptive to knowledge in this field and are more computer literate than many employees in today's workforce. I only hope that employers will be more influenced by who a person is rather than where s/he comes from. - Yours, etc.,
Susan Ward, Palmerston Road, Rathmines, Dublin 6.