Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Dublin Bay North, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Okay, so the Department is willing to accept that the school made a mistake. However, can the Minister reiterate to every school across the country the reality that they cannot link a payment to enrolment? Will the Minister also accept there is a toxic relationship between money and education in this country? There is far too much of an assumption within school management sometimes that a voluntary contribution is linked to full engagement in school life, and they may suggest that it is voluntary but it is not. We have to move to a situation where children can attend school in the non-fee-paying sector, my own views on that sector aside, and parents will not be asked to put their hands in their pockets. If there is a request for a voluntary contribution or a fee in regard to enrolment, the potential for humiliation of that parent is huge and the ability of that parent to complain about it is minimised because they are so worried about their child having full participation in school life. We need a robust statement from the Department in regard to these matters.

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