Sir, – The worth of the measurement systems employed in these international surveys ought to be debated vigorously, but if you increasingly invest more in hiring administrators than academics, then what else should you expect under any evaluation? – Yours, etc,
SHANE O’TOOLE,
Associate Professor
(Adjunct),
School of Architecture,
Planning & Environmental
Policy, UCD.
Sir, – Might the dilemma of falling international ranking of Irish universities be an opportunity to explore the merits and mutual benefits of reviewing our corporate tax rate? Perhaps we need a delicate increase, ring-fenced for investment in education. This would be effectively a reinvestment in the companies paying the tax. The most valuable resource of a knowledge economy is a well-educated workforce that can return a valuable dividend on such an initiative. Think of it as not so much a tax as an investment opportunity. – Yours, etc,
SUZANNE DOYLE,
Tully,
Kildare.
Sir, – Maybe you should compile a league table of university league table ranking systems.
The one factor common to all is the correlation between funding and a prominent position on the league table. If we want a higher place, we’ll have to pay for it. – Yours, etc,
JAMES RYAN,
Dublin 8.