Top talent and education

Sir, – So the Irish Universities Association believes that the more we pay an academic the easier it is to attract the best talent ("Universities get green light for salaries over ¤335,000", News, February 13th). Whereas the Department of Education appears to believe that the less we pay teachers, the lower the cost of free education.

How much would an academic have to be paid to make sense of these two opposing views on the best value for money for the State’s investment in talent? – Yours, etc,

DERMOT O’ROURKE,

Lucan,

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Co Dublin.

Sir, – Talent costs money. It always has and always will. Universities are not immune to this phenomenon. – Yours, etc,

ANNE KEANE,

Dublin 8.