Madam, - In an article by Paddy Agnew in your edition of February 6th, "Italian academics would appear to be slow learners", the author describes Italy with a superficial and ironic approach - if only to make it more easily palatable and amusing for the readers - which certainly does not improve the understanding and reciprocal knowledge between our two countries.
It favours, on the contrary, the consolidation of easy stereotypes, which is in nobody's interests.
The headline is misleading since it gives the false impression that Italian academics deserve the same sharp criticism as the whole Italian university system. The content, based on a bad translation, is not accurate because it provokes the wrong association of the Italian word "lettori" (language tutors) with the English word lecturers ("docenti e professori").
In the end, the article does not offer any possibility for the readers to understand exactly the amount of injustice claimed by the foreign "lettori" in Italy, since it does not provide any comparison with the Irish university system. - Yours, etc.,
ALBERTO SCHEPISI, Ambassador of Italy to Ireland, Dublin.