Letter: More homework just a quick fix?

Sir: You acknowledge (leading article, 14 January) that for some children, home will never be a comfortable environment in which to learn or work.

I suffered that problem during my own schooldays in the Fifties. But it did not stop me doing my homework and excelling in my examinations. I did all my homework in the public study centres that used to be provided in every town on weekday evenings - the reference room of the public library.

Here under one roof could be found ample study desks in regulated peace and quiet, in a centrally heated information resource centre, with fully trained staff on hand to answer questions. Many public libraries now have the addition of computers and the Internet to make them ideal homework centres for young people who want to learn. It was in the public library, not the classroom, that I discovered that I could achieve an "A" by adding value to my homework by reference to the books on the library shelves.

Unfortunately, today's public libraries are often closed on weekday evenings, as a result of Government cut-backs on local authority expenditure.

MARY JAGGER

Claygate , Surrey