Universities’ standing - We must get off slippery slope quickly

LAST December an international survey reported a startling decline in the level of academic achievement by Irish teenagers.

An OECD/Pisa study recorded a dramatic fall in literacy levels amongst young adults, and found that 15-year-olds were at best average or below standard in maths and/or science. That wake-up call was amplified by yesterday’s publication of new ratings for the world’s universities which showed that nearly all of our colleges — University College Cork (UCC) being an exception — lost ground to international rivals.

This is the second time in less than a year we have been told that elements of our education system are in decline. For a society that has staked its future on creating a knowledge-based economy, attracting foreign investment and increasing exports of services, these are sobering judgements.