A chara, – Further to "Inquiry into way public funds used to pay third-level chaplains" (October 8th), once again I find myself wondering which century some people think this is. Public funds are still being used to hire chaplains for our third-level colleges (and usually just from the dominant faith). Is it too much to ask why they can't hire counsellors instead?
Any student needing religious guidance far from home can be comforted by the fact that our colleges are not based on remote little islands. In fact, I wonder whether there exists a college in Ireland that doesn’t have at least one church within walking distance. So why is the taxpayer again subsidising the church to have a position of privilege within our education system? – Is mise,
TIM HOURIGAN,
Limerick.
Sir, – I am struck by Minister for Education Jan O’Sullivan’s ordering of an inquiry into college chaplains but her inaction on the issue of the compulsory, no-choice levying of all third-level students to subsidise the campaigns of frequently left-leaning student unions. All third-level students are forced at registration to have funds deducted from their registration fees to fund the student union and its officers, whether or not they agree with them or their policies.
This benefits the left-leaning cliques that control most student unions, and from which the Labour Party can rely on for support. – Yours, etc,
OLIVER MAHER,
Dublin 6W.