Madam, - I listened with dismay to the Minister of Education, Mary Hanafin, on Thursday's (March 20th) Morning Ireland programme on RTÉ, praising the "good example of philanthropy" demonstrated by JP McManus, who apparently lives in "tax free" Switzerland. (as reported in the columns of Friday's Irish Times).
It seems the "philanthropy" concerns the funding of 100 scholarships per annum for students from "disadvantaged areas", with the State funding another 120 per annum. In her rush to extol the virtues of Mr McManus's efforts in this regard, the Minister seems to have forgotten entirely the commitments entered into by her Government in the National Agreement T2016, to work together with the social partners to address precisely this area of educational disadvantage.
We in the trade union movement identified the need for support measures in the areas of further and higher education, in order to enhance participation by those from disadvantaged backgrounds. Specific measures were identified to be implemented in that joint enterprise with the social partners. However, I do not recall reliance on the benevolence of individuals of high net worth, at home or abroad, as being one of them!
Philanthropy is fine as far as it goes but there should be no circumstance, whatsoever, in which people from disadvantaged backgrounds, in particular, should have to rely upon it for what is surely an entitlement.
There has long been a consensus that universal access to educational attainment should not only be a right, but is also of vital importance to the economy and society in general. Indeed, it has been remarked that one of the consequences of the 1947 Education Act in Northern Ireland was to provide some of the key leadership in the civil rights campaign which is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year.
It is even more ironic that this year of 2008, sees the 40th anniversary of Donogh O'Malley's pioneering initiative to ensure the State provides access to secondary education for all. Ms Hanafin's own words of tribute to Donogh O'Malley stand in sharp contradiction to her reliance on philanthropy: "His [ O'Malley's] legacy to all students ensured that lack of means would no longer prevent anyone from reaching their educational potential".
Apart from honouring her commitments under T2016 to work with the social partners to deliver for those from disadvantaged backgrounds, the Minister needs to decide in which tradition she stands - that of the far-seeing and progressive Donogh O'Malley, or that of dependence on handouts from the super-rich. - Yours, etc,
JACK O'CONNOR, General President, Siptu, Liberty Hall, Dublin 1.