Letter: Students who lack basic numeracy

Sir: It is perhaps symptomatic of this Government's attitude to the sciences that its Education Secretary, John Patten, can call upon universities to reject applicants who cannot spell and use bad grammar, but makes no similar demand that students have at least the basic skills of numeracy ('Universities told to reject students who cannot spell', 24 September).

There is surely too much emphasis on spelling and good grammar in our society when ignorance of simple arithmetic is regarded almost as a virtue yet a misspelling or a split infinitive in a news-

paper will provoke a torrent of correspondence.

Yours faithfully,

BRIAN JONES

Leeds

24 September