Sir, - I would like to correct certain impressions concerning primary school funding contained in Finian McGrath's letter (October 16th).
Mr McGrath incorrectly stated that the Minister for Education and Science has said that some inner-city schools have too many resources and that the Minister has been cutting services. This was set in the context of the school of which Mr McGrath is principal.
In a recent interview the Minister stated that two inner-city schools, including Mr McGrath's, which had been brought out on strike had significant resources available to them and that he did not feel their action was justified. In support of this he stated that the staffing concessions available to the schools mean that they have among the most favourable pupil-teacher ratios in the country; on average 15:1 in Mr McGrath's school. In addition, the funding provided to the school is over three times the level, per pupil, provided to ordinary national schools.
The Minister recognises the important work done in these schools and is fully committed to the allocation of these extra resources, but he does not accept that any of his Department's actions provided justification for taking children out of school and bringing them on to a picket line. - Yours, etc., David Gordon,
Press Officer,
Department of Education and Science,
Marlborough Street,
Dublin 1.