Alex White (Dublin South, Labour) | Oireachtas source

On behalf of my colleague the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Ruairí Quinn, I thank Deputy Mathews for giving me an opportunity to outline to the House the position concerning the issue he has raised.

This 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 in free second-level schools for the 2013-14 school year as a result of the budget. The DEIS scheme 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 funding 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 are charging fees ranging from €2,550 to €10,065 for day pupils.

The State pays the salaries 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. This will rise to 23:1 in fee-charging schools from September 2013. However, 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 of Education and Skills was recently published and shows that the schools in question have €81 million in discretionary income that schools in the free scheme do not have. The report contains no policy proposals at this stage. However, 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. This Government recognises the importance of ensuring that students from a Protestant or reformed church background can attend a school that reflects their denominational ethos while at the same time ensuring that funding arrangements are in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution. How best to sustain education provision for widely dispersed and small local communities presents as 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 in maintaining their schools is part of that policy.

Regarding the fee-charging Protestant schools, an arrangement exists whereby funding is provided by the Department of Education and Skills to the Secondary Education Committee, SEC, an organisation run by the churches involved in managing the Protestant secondary schools. The SEC then disburses 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. Funding amounts to €6.5 million annually. This fund ensures that necessitous Protestant children can attend a school of their choice.

The Minister for Education and Skills and the relevant Department officials will continue to engage with the relevant education sector stakeholders, including the Church of Ireland and boards of education, regarding education provision for all areas.

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