Marino report questions financial procedures

THE consultants who cleared the Marino Institute of Education (MIE) of bullying and financial irregularities raised serious questions about financial procedures in their report to the Christian Brothers trustees.

Farrell Grant Sparks also criticised the Department of Education's intervention in the dispute, claiming it compounded rather than alleviated the situation at the institute's teacher training college, Coláiste Mhuire Marino (CMM). Matters came to a head last May when CMM president Caoimhe Máirtín received a six-figure settlement of her claim against MIE for bullying and harassment.

A department spokesperson last night said intervention was needed because of the nature of the financial impropriety allegations, the level of public funding given to MIE and the need to assure students of high-quality teacher education.

MIE's governing body had earlier released the report following CMM staff claims that its reported clearance of management was a whitewash and the linking of recent resignations at the college to the dispute.

While the report in keeping with a Christian Brothers' statement on February 24 concludes there was no regime of bullying and no financial irregularities, it raises a number of questions about procedures. It says it was inappropriate that the governing body's finance committee only met infrequently over the last year to 18 months, primarily due to a breakdown in communication between members.

"If there were concerns with regard to confidentiality or other such matters, those concerns should have been confronted and addressed at the earliest opportunity and finance committee meetings should have been held as normal.

"Given that the majority of members were also members of the governing body, a question arises over the governing body's inaction in this matter," it said.

The report said questions were raised about strategic financial management by MIE's treatment of the purchase of four student apartments and the lack of rent charged to Coláiste Mhuire for land and buildings.

Irish National Teachers Organisation general secretary John Carr rejected the report's claim that its support for CMM staff was misguided. He said the report lacked balance or objectivity and the authors had not interviewed union representatives.