A CAMPAIGN by Protestant schools against the Budget cutbacks intensified yesterday as the Church of Ireland Archbishop of Dublin criticised an “unbelievable lack of understanding” by the Department of Education.
The Right Rev John Neill said the “very discriminatory nature of the cuts in last year’s educational budget” were in marked contrast with the historical approach to Protestant schools.
Previous governments, he said, “have recognised the specific needs of providing education within their own ethos for a vibrant but scattered Protestant population.’’
In the October budget, Minister for Education Batt O’Keeffe removed ancillary grants for Protestant schools, covering such expenses as caretaker and secretarial supports. The move will yield annual savings of €2.8 million.
At the time, he said: “I can see no justification for treating the Protestant fee-charging schools in a special way, particularly given that Catholic fee-charging schools have not been in receipt of the grants at all.”
Speaking at the launch of a history of Kilkenny College, Dr Neill pointed out that the college was now the largest boarding school on the island of any denomination or tradition.
“And yet it is vulnerable. Like all schools in the Protestant block grant system, it is severely hit by the very discriminatory nature of the cuts in last year’s educational budget – in spite of every effort made by schools, by management bodies and by bishops.”
He said the Church of Ireland community regained a great sense of confidence in a Republic which was becoming more truly inclusive, and this same community had increased significantly in numbers and self- assurance of recent years.
“It is very sad that at this same time, there should be blindness to the needs of Protestant schools, a need which was fully recognised by all previous administrations.’’
Last night a spokesman for the Minister said: “The Minister has always recognised the importance of ensuring that students from Protestant backgrounds can attend a school that reflects their denominational ethos.
“For that reason, the Protestant block grant was introduced along with the free education scheme to enable such children to attend Protestant schools. Protestant fee-charging schools receive, and will continue to receive, the Protestant block grant which amounts to €6.5 million in the current school year.’’
The spokesman said the Minister “had agreed at a post-Budget meeting with Dr Neill and other bishops to consider any proposals . . . that would enable the available funding to be focused and adjusted to more effectively meet the twin objectives of access for individuals and sustaining the dispersed schools that they wish to attend.
“The bishops are to respond on how the funding that’s continuing to be available might best be deployed to meet the needs of their schools.’’
Since 1966, the Government has provided supports to Protestant schools, a recognition that “free schooling” was not always available to Protestant children.
