Madam, - The high failure rate in ordinary level Junior Certicicate maths does not surprise me at all (The Irish Times, September 15th). I venture to suggest that this frightening lack of proficiency continues up the educational ladder.
As a bus driver working on a route linking two of the largest universities in the State, I am constantly faced with young students who have incredible difficulty in counting beyond 85c.
When I advise such people of their requirement to pay a higher fare, such as €1.25 or €1.45, this often results in an embarrassing public exhibition of their inability to "tot up".
Initially I felt I was being teased, but I have long since come to realise that many university "freshers" have left second-level system devoid of some very basic survival skills.
Perhaps this simple failing helps to explain how banks got away with overcharging so many people for so long. - Yours, etc.,
BILLY FLEMING, Belgard, Tallaght, Dublin 24.