Lets get one thing straight. The state does not fund private schools. It pays teachers in all schools to educate all children. All curriculum based teachers are public servants and it does not matter if the school they are in is public, private, religious or nondenominational, the state should pay their wages so as each child in the country gets a free education. That’s a social principle this country should not give up. We live in a country in which each child is entitled to a free education. It does not matter if that child is black, white, rich, poor, religious, agnostic, atheist………they are entitled to a free education provided for by the state.

Now for those who can afford it, because they earn it, they should be allowed to then further pay on top of that as they see fit for their kid’s education. Some people get grinds for their kids. Some send there kids to Irish schools during the summer. Some send their kids to other countries on exchanges so as they can learn a foreign language better and some others send their kids to schools in which you pay to get added value. You get better facilities; a larger range of educational programs; more after school actives; more choice of sports to do etc etc………They pay for these extra add-ons through their money which they earn and pay tax on. Many families make a lot of sacrifices to ensure their kids have this opportunity.

To force private schools to pay for their own teachers will result in swades more kids going to state funded schools, costing the state more. Some private schools will close or become public schools, costing the state more. What would be left is a public school system costing the state more and the emergence of the mega private school in which only the very richest in the country will go, as it will cost at least €15000-20000 a year to send a kid. Then we really will have top heavy elitism in this country.

Let me pose another question. Each kid in the country is entitled to a free pre-school place at the age of 3-4. If someone is sending their child to a creche already should they have to pay for their preschool place? Should people who earn and save their money, pay their taxes get nothing at all back from the state?

I agree with the union. And schools’ admission policies need to change at the same time. Many wholly state-funded schools currently discriminate in favour of children from certain religious backgrounds, or in possession of a baptism cert, which is absolutely appalling.

Every child in the State is entitled to an education so what is so wrong if parents can top up that education with their own money? If the State pulled this funding then the fee paying schools could all pull the plug and go non-fee paying which would probably cost more in the long run.

I find it odd that the union is advocating for the state to stop payments of teachers who work in Private Schools. Why would a teachers union be lobbying for a position that will surely hurt some of its members?

Simple really, all schools are fee paying. €10 for a no uniform day, €5 for a hot dog in a bun for lunch, €100 voluntary contribution… €5000 for extra facilities. Those that have more pay more and get more. Been that way in a lot of ways for many things since time immemorial. The real focus should not be at the top but raising the bar at the bottom.

”They come after Department of Education analysis found Ireland’s 55 so-called private schools have an additional €81.3 million available to them ”
So – more hypocrisy – the Private schools are subsidized by the State . This should stop immediately . If parents want to educate their offspring Privately – let them pay for it .

but then if we dont help pay for theses schools where will the next generation of silver spoon fed political and banking off spring come from who have done such a wonderful corruption job on this country and what about the poor cocaine dealers who will have the money now to buy the party drug at the weekend if mammy and daddy rich have to increase the fees for little rich jimmys school and not give him his lavish pocket money

@Sinead are we going to have a post on the other side of the debate, or will thejournal.ie continue to a leftist platform?

Why does the state dominate the provision of education in the first place? Surely it is the governments job to govern, not to run enterprises? Ought not the government focus on ensuring that enterprises that provide education – be they church based or private or whatever – do so to a recognised standard. The staffing of the school, the management and development of the site, does not need to be a public sector responsibility – partly because the public sector is grossly inefficient and also because public sector dominance diminishes community response-ability. If the state is going to allocate any taxpayers money to any school surely it should be on an equitable basis to all schools, no matter who runs the school, with of course the option for any school to opt out of state subsidy and state recognised accreditation.