John Perry (Sligo-North Leitrim, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am taking this Topical Issue on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Ruairí Quinn, and I thank Deputy Conlon for providing me with the opportunity to outline to the House the position on the need to protect the future viability of Monaghan Collegiate School.

The Government has protected frontline services in schools to the greatest extent possible in the recent budget and there will be no reduction in teacher numbers in primary schools and free second-level schools for the 2013-14 school year as a result of the budget. DEIS provision for disadvantaged schools is also fully protected with no overall changes to staffing levels or funding as a result of the budget. At post-primary level and in order to promote fairness in the funding of second-level schools, a two-point increase in the pupil teacher ratio in fee-charging second-level schools will be introduced in September 2013. Currently, 55 schools out of 723 post-primary schools charge fees, which range from €2,550 to €10,065 for day pupils. The State pays the salary of one teacher for every 21 pupils in these schools compared with one teacher for every 19 pupils in schools in the free education scheme. A ratio of 18.25 pupils to one teacher applies in DEIS schools. While the ratio will rise to 23:1 in fee-charging schools from September 2013, these schools have the resources, through fees charged, to employ teachers privately, an option which is not available to schools in the free-education scheme. A report on the analysis of the tuition income of fee-charging schools carried out by the Department was recently published. It showed that the schools in question have €81 million in discretionary income that schools in the free scheme do not have. It is important to note that the report does not contain any policy proposals at this stage. Even after the budget changes are implemented, the discretionary income available to these schools will still be quite considerable.

There are some concerns within the Church of Ireland community on the recent budget measure affecting fee-charging schools. The Government recognises the importance of ensuring that students from a Protestant or reformed church background can attend schools that reflect their denominational ethos while at the same time ensuring that funding arrangements accord with the provisions of the Constitution. How best to sustain education provision for widely dispersed and small local communities presents a particular challenge, especially in any locality where enrolment is declining to single figures. The Government is intent on fostering pluralism in school provision. Supporting small communities, including minorities, to maintain their schools is part of that policy. The school to which the Deputy refers has been in contact with the Department. A range of issues have been discussed and further meetings will be held.

An arrangement exists for fee-charging Protestant schools, whereby funding is provided by the Department to the Secondary Education Committee, or SEC, an organisation run by the churches involved in managing Protestant secondary schools. The SEC disburses the funds to the Protestant fee-charging schools on behalf of pupils who would otherwise have difficulty with the cost of fees and who, in the absence of such financial support, would be unable to attend a second-level school of a reformed church or Protestant ethos. This funding amounts to €6.5 million annually to ensure that necessitous Protestant children can attend a school of their choice.

In conclusion, I confirm that the Minister and relevant Department officials will continue to engage with the relevant education-sector stakeholders, including the Church of Ireland and boards of education, in relation to education provision for all areas.

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