Sir, – In his article on fee-charging schools John McManus writes about the dominant role of the Catholic Church in health, education and social policy, and writes that, “the other churches went along for the ride” (“There’s no moral argument for the State to subsidise private schools. Just a pragmatic one”, Opinion, December 21st).
Mr McManus falls into the trap of belittling minority faith education and, in particular, the fact that the strength of a democracy may be measured in part by how it treats those minorities.
Where a small and dispersed population of Protestants is facilitated – through boarding, fee-charging schools and the free education system – that is a strength of the State, rather than a weakness.
The provision of this education to this dispersed minority has been impossible to sustain in Ireland without those fee-charging schools; the fact that, barring amalgamations, the State has founded precisely two Protestant schools in the free scheme – both in Wicklow – gives further credence to the need for this wider group of institutions, and its necessity not just in Ireland’s past but into its future also. – Yours, etc,
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CRAIG PETRIE,
Principal,
East Glendalough School,
Co Wicklow.
