Quinn to review fee-paying schools' support [Independent.ie]
- Published: 16 May 2011
The Government is to review the €100m a year in financial support given by the taxpayer to fee-paying schools.
Education Minister Ruairi Quinn says his intention is to ensure scarce resources will go to those most in need.
His main focus will be the subsidy given to the schools for building work, which amounted to €12m in the past five years.
The biggest source of state support for the 55 schools involved is the payment of teacher salaries, worth €105m in the past school year and €470m since 2007.
The Department of Education also pays about €300,000 a year in salaries for clerical staff and about €1.6m for special needs assistants, bringing total payroll support since 2007 to €480m.
But Mr Quinn has already ruled out a change in those arrangements, partly because salaries would have to be paid anyway if the schools switched to the free education sector.
The schools, which charge fees ranging from about €3,000 to €12,750 for day pupils, received €533m from the State in the past five years.
Full Story: www.independent.ie
