Voluntary schools ‘under-funded’

SECOND-LEVEL schools attended by most students are being under-funded by the Government compared to other schools, a management leader said yesterday.

Almost 60% of all second-level students attended the country’s 407 voluntary secondary schools last year. But the Joint Managerial Body (JMB) claims that they receive significantly less funding for their organisation and maintenance than around 350 schools in the vocational, community and comprehensive (C&C) sectors.

The JMB, which represents the boards and principals of voluntary secondary schools, said in its pre-budget submission to the Government that more than 70 such schools have closed in the last 14 years, partly because of the decline in teachers in religious orders and the State’s willingness to build and run new second level schools.