Sir, – Laura Kennedy asks, "What value is a university education?". The answer is clearly outlined in the OECD Education at a Glance 2018 Report just published this week. The OECD confirms that 25- to 64-year-old workers in Ireland with a bachelor's degree or equivalent earn 67 per cent more than those with secondary education only. The earnings dividend is even higher for master's and PhD graduates. A somewhat less comforting fact in the same OECD report is that Ireland comes second last in the league of overall funding for higher education. If the under-funding of third-level education continues as it has for the last decade, there's a real risk that the earnings dividend of future graduates will be seriously eroded. It's time for the Government to respond to the growing funding crisis. – Yours, etc,
JIM MILEY,
Director General,
Irish Universities
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Association,
Merrion Square,
Dublin 2.
Sir, – Congratulations to Laura Kennedy on achieving her PhD; “fair play to her” doesn’t really cover it. Her Wednesday column is required reading for me. Her honesty and her wisdom are compelling. – Yours, etc,
ROGER HURLEY,
Killiney,
Co Dublin.