Dr. Michael Redmond:

Ní thuigim an cheist, as we used to say in the past. The boarding school provision is one that every single country in the world has to provide for students who are not domiciled during their education for a whole range of reasons. In Ireland we have a particular situation, first, the minority faith population is dispersed and for them to achieve access to the school of their choice, that is a school with their particular family’s ethos, they need to have boarding provision and that boarding provision is not a luxury and is certainly not elitist. It is as inclusive as anything in any other aspect of the State’s provision of education. Although I do not fully comprehend the question, and it is not for the want of trying, the boarding school provision demands a fairly honest and frank consideration by the system at large, the Legislature and the Department in terms of its provision and supports, and, in particular, the challenges it faces that are quite unique in the school setting in terms of childcare and, for example, even holiday provision. The movement of the oral examinations leaving certificate to Easter has not been unproblematic for boarding school children. There are many anomalies that require to be addressed. It is probably high time we had a good system level conversation that is frank and honest about the needs of boarding schools in this State because they serve a distinct need.