Voluntary second-level schools, of which 13 per cent are fee-paying and 87 per cent in the "free education scheme", get inadequate and inequitable State funding. A survey of a cross-section of 15 voluntary schools by the Secretariat of Secondary Schools showed that, on average, there was a shortfall of £57 per pupil between the schools' income from the Department of Education and Science funding and their expenditure on day-to-day running costs alone. To make up the shortfall, parents have to pay voluntary contributions and fund-raise.
Historically, religious communities made it possible to run voluntary schools for less than other sectors because they put their salaries back into the schools, as well as teaching extra hours. Back-up services, such as caretaking and secretarial work, were done voluntarily.
The drop in their numbers now means more funding is necessary for voluntary schools to be viable - no organisation can survive on inadequate funding.
The Department's own 1994 unit cost survey demonstrated clearly that voluntary schools were the "poor relation" in terms of the State's contribution to their education. In the vocational sector, £295 was spent on each child; in the community and comprehensive sector the figure was £259; and in the voluntary sector it was only £183. In 1999, the situation is not significantly different.
The Department's sometime argument that, as the religious own the schools, the state should not have to pay running costs, begs the question of how much more the state would have to pay if had to provide new schools for all the children in the voluntary sector. Should "free" education be less free in the voluntary sector?
It can be argued that parents of children in voluntary schools are unjustly discriminated against financially by the State. This would appear to be in breach of the Constitution which recognises the right of parents to choose the type of education they want for their children. Moreover, in some areas, voluntary schools are the only ones available. Yet, all parents in all areas have the an equal right to adequate funding for their children's education.
The Department designated some schools as "disadvantaged" and these schools get a capitation grant of £214 per pupil. Voluntary schools which didn't quite meet the criteria for disadvantage got no extra funding, despite having a significant percentage of disadvantaged pupils. In these cases, the pupils are doubly disadvantaged: the Government refuses to fund their schools adequately and refuses to allow for the disadvantage they themselves suffer. The capitation grant for disadvantage should be paid for each of these students.
The Commission on Future Funding which is investigating these concerns is welcomed by voluntary schools. They hope that they will not have to wait too long for its findings or to have a more equitable system implemented.
While voluntary schools welcome improved capitation and capital funding announced by the Minister recently, they believe that ultimately a funding system that provides them with the means to resource adequately the learning and teaching process needs to be put in place. Our children who make up 60 per cent of the school-going population need to be given a fair chance.
Outgoing PRO of the Catholic Secondary Schools' Parents' Association
Education & Living
Editor: Ella Shanahan Production: Hugh Lambert and Harry Browne Main Cover illustration: Kevin McSherry Small cover illustrations: Cathy Dineen Email: education@irish-times.ie
