Letter: Science: in theory and practice

Sir: Your leading article today ('More science teaching is worth the cost') discusses, largely in terms of age, the problem of recruiting higher education science teachers. The problem lies not only in salary structures but in the totally incompatible criteria applied in recruiting for academe as opposed to industry.

While the assertion that good higher education teaching follows inevitably and necessarily from research, and while research is defined in terms of published papers, there will be little movement of staff between the two sectors.

If 'engineering' and 'technology' are included in the general category of science, then the gap between theory and practice can only widen still further to the detriment of both.

Yours faithfully,

JOHN HENDERSON

Alton, Hampshire

29 December