Scrapping support for fee schools ‘won’t save money’
Responding to reports that Education Minister Noel Dempsey wants to stop the €68.5 million annual funding for the 58 such schools, the head of the Joint Managerial Body (JMB) said the move could cost more money than it would save.
Around 1,600 teachers at the fee-paying schools receive their pay cheques from the State, but many schools use their own income to hire extra teachers.
JMB general secretary George O’Callaghan said up to half these schools may be forced to abandon their-fee paying status because parents would no longer be able to pay increases necessary to foot the salary bill.
“This would mean more students going back into the free education scheme, for whom the Government would have to pay capitation grants to schools. Many of the teachers in the fee-paying schools would also be redeployed back to free schools, where their salaries would be paid by the State anyway,” he said.
He said the State would also incur greater costs if fee-paying schools went into the free education scheme because they would become eligible for capital grants available to other schools for the upkeep of their buildings.
Mr Dempsey is believed to have raised the question of withdrawing financial support from fee-paying schools at last month’s Cabinet meeting. The minister’s spokesperson refused to comment yesterday.
Of the 58 fee-paying schools, 21 are Protestant and also receive €9 million a year for secretarial, caretaking and supervision services.
Labour’s education spokesperson Jan O’Sullivan said a review of the State supports should be considered but any changes should be sensitive to members of minority religions.
The Association of Secondary Teachers of Ireland and the National Congress of Catholic Secondary Schools Parent Associations also support the continuation of State-paid teachers at fee-paying schools.
