Sir, – David Doran (Letters, August 28th) argues against State funding for private schools because it promotes inequality.
He characterises public schools as “inclusive” while private schools are “exclusive” because, as he explains, “they exclude all children whose parents cannot afford the fees for that school.”
This is not strictly true since most private schools operate scholarship programmes that prevent all such children from being “excluded”, but in general it is more than a fair comment: without a sufficient family income, private schooling is not an option for most children.
Due to the current level of State funding, however, Irish private schools have the interesting effect of promoting social mobility in a way that their British equivalents – which tend to be restricted to the elites – do not.
Irish fees are such that a private education can be within the reach of the upper-working and lower-middle classes, which is not possible elsewhere.
The degree of sacrifice may vary, but many parents are willing to do what they can to increase the chance that their children will be prepared to make the best use of their talents and interests in order to make the best contribution to society of which they are capable.
In this way, the State funding of private education is fundamentally inclusive rather than the opposite, and it is precisely these children (whose parents are making a sacrifice of which they are now capable) who would be excluded by a fundamental change in the funding arrangements. – Yours, etc,
WILLIAM HUNT,
Ranelagh,
Dublin 6.
Sir, – There has been much debate in your newspaper and elsewhere on the rights and wrongs of the State funding of private schools in Ireland. The most common objection is that the State is wrong to subsidise a cohort of wealthy students who can self-select into smaller groups and avail of ostensibly better tuition and facilities.
It is a strong argument.
What is missing from the debate, however, is any plausible counterfactual.
If the State pulls its funding, most of these private schools will continue to exist but will cater to a smaller population of very wealthy families. Then we will truly face the “Eton problem”.
Moreover, any shortfall in domestic candidates will be made up by wealthy children from China, the US and elsewhere who are looking for a European sprinkle on their CVs.
I do not necessarily object to this but is it socially good for Ireland?
It is questionable and should be debated. – Yours, etc,
PETER MALONE,
Howth,
Co Dublin.