Sir, – Further to “Should the State continue to provide €112 million a year to private schools?” (Analysis, Education, August 21st), there is one big difference between public schools and fee-charging schools.
Public schools are inclusive, while fee-charging schools are exclusive. Public schools will accept and include all children regardless of parental income.
Fee-charging schools exclude all children whose parents cannot afford the fees for that school.
Public schools are egalitarian. Fee-paying schools are not.
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It is because of the exclusion of poorer pupils from fee-charging schools that fee-charging schools should not receive equal treatment in terms of public funding.
Indeed, there is a strong case for removing all public funding from fee-charging schools, precisely because they exclude.
The State should not be in the business of promoting inequality by funding schools which exclude the vast majority. – Yours, etc,
DAVID DORAN,
Bagenalstown,
Co Carlow.
