Henry-Franz Gauci (‘University entry requirements’, April 5) is correct when he says we should “start to consider whether these compulsory requirements reflect the modern educational perspective or are still a relic of the past”.

The University of Malta’s Pierre Cassar (April 12) counters that “the minimum entry requirements for regular admission to University of Malta courses define a benchmark for successful general education” and that “the ‘core’ subjects equip students with basic competences in mathematics, Maltese and English, which are essential to pursue an education at a higher level”.

However, foreign students are admitted to the University without any Maltese, as are lecturers in most subjects, while the mathematics requirement goes beyond “basic competencies”. Mathematics has many divisions and sub-divisions but, for many degree subjects, all but arithmetic are unnecessary.

Even in subjects requiring some competency in mathematics, it is possible to ‘work round’ a deficiency.

I had passed ‘A’ level mathematics and obtained a degree in physics but when I came to do my Warwick MA in education, I found I was expected to analyse my research findings using SSPS (statistical package for the social sciences).

This just defeated me and so the director of research suggested I get someone else to do my analysis and to acknowledge that in my dissertation. I refused and, instead, I devised an alternative to SSPS, constructing tables of my results and marking commonalities and disparities with different-coloured pens and symbols.

This meant that I achieved my objective and also understood what I had done.

I was awarded a distinction and was then asked to lecture on my alternative method of statistical analysis to students having similar difficulties. Later, I completed my PhD without resorting to statistics.

Today, the required basic competencies have changed and what is essential is the ability to think and to work around a problem.

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