If the parish priest of Trim, Co. Meath, Fr. Andrew Farrell, wishes to retain the four national schools in his parish in Catholic ownership, he should set about raising the very minimal local contribution from sources other than the State. Instead of pressing the State to carry the full cost of the country's national schools he should look to his own institution; the Catholic Church. Is it not reasonable to expect that some of the windfall profits made from the sale of Church property in recent years, should be invested in Catholic education?
Alternatively Fr. Farrell's case should be followed through to its logical conclusion. He says that many of the families who send their children to the schools in Trim are not members of the parish. Is it not time therefore that the Church allowed the State to buy out its stake in the schools? We would then have schools which serve all sections of the community—national schools in the full sense of the word.
Publicly owned national schools would continue to provide Catholic or Protestant religious instruction for those that want it. But being publicly owned they would have none of the financial or political problems of schools that are the property of one religious denomination. There is a growing minority of parents who would prefer to have public education and this minority is finding it increasingly difficult to understand why the schools are controlled by the Catholic Church.
If Fr. Farrell wishes his schools to remain in the private ownership of the Catholic Church, he cannot expect them to be treated like public schools.
The controversy over the funding of national schools which has been stirred up by the parish priest of Trim, Fr. Andrew Farrell, illustrates graphically the disadvantages of having the Catholic Church as the major controlling influence in the education system.
Last week Fr. Farrell announced that his parish would pay only £7 of the £8.50 capitation fee for the local contribution to the four national schools in his parish. This week it transpires, through a story in the Co. Meath newpaper, The Weekender, that Fr. Farrell never consulted the boards of management of the schools before making his announcement. (The £8.50 per pupil paid by national schools is less than 10% of the capitation fee paid by the State.)
Meanwhile Sr. Eileen Randles of the Catholic Primary School Managers Association has expressed her gratitude to the present Minister for Education, Michael Martin, for reducing the standard rate of the local contribution from £10 per child to £8.50 (Irish Independent—If parents don't go to Mass who pays for the school?). She anticipates further reductions and the eventual elimination of the contribution.
Sr. Randles stated that "this capitation fee is only in existence since the early 70s and was imposed when there simply wasn't enough money available from the State". Actually a local contribution was paid for the national schools since National Education was introduced in the 1840s. In the early years of the State when teacher unions and others lobbied to have the total cost of the schools placed as a charge on the State, the proposal was blocked by Church authorities. The first State grant for maintenance of national schools was not made until 1962, such was the vehemence of Catholic resistance to State involvement in education. National schools remained in a deplorable condition as a result.
So, despite years of paying lip service to the concept of partnership in education, a parish priest makes a unilateral announcement refusing to pay the full local contribution for national schools. The local contribution is being reduced and will probably be abolished in any case. The tax payer must pick up the tab and the State is gaining nothing by way of increased democratic control of education. And spokespersons for the Catholic Church are sowing confusion about the history of public funding for national schools.
We reiterate the call made by our members in Meath last week: if the Catholic Church is no longer capable of raising the local contribution from its dwindling flock then it is time for the State to initiate a process of buying out the Church's proprietorial interest in the national schools. It is grossly unfair that tax payers should be asked to pay the total costs of these schools while the Catholic Church continues to enjoy the benefits of a spurious private ownership.
If you wish to subscribe to the Irish Political Review, Labour & Trade Union Review, Church & State or Problems Of Capitalism & Socialism please go to our secure sales area. Postal delivery is free within the European Union.