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The Daily PollPoll: Should the State subsidisation of fee-paying schools end?
Ireland’s fee-paying schools have €81.3 million more than public schools to spend on extra teachers, facilities and extracurricular activities. Is it time to stop their subsidisation?
OVER THE LAST 13 years, private state-aided schools have received almost €1 billion in subsidies.
According to analysis from the Department of Education, the top nine private second-level schools had, on average, €2 million in disposable income in 2012.
The analysis also found that compared with similar public counterparts, fee paying schools have an annual income of up to €4.7 million annually.
Responding to today’s report, Labour TD Eamonn Maloney said that the “‘bail-out’ of education privilege is a national scandal” and needed to stop, stating that private schools in Northern Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales benefit from no such subsidisation.
Supporters say some of the schools provide an option for the parents of minority religions, which have traditionally not been catered for by the Irish education system.
So today we ask: Should the State subsidisation of fee-paying schools end?
Poll Results:
No (1856)
Yes (1510)
I don't know (720)
have your say