Madam, - The reported view of Minister for Education Batt O'Keeffe that parents who pay for their children to attend fee-paying schools can afford to pay university fees is very narrow and ill-informed, especially with regard to many members of the Church of Ireland and other minority religions.
In any sizeable town, parents can find a "free" school run under the ethos of the Roman Catholic Church. Obviously, this is fine for the majority of parents.
However, for those who are not Roman Catholics, and who wish to send their offspring to a school run under, for example, the ethos of the Church of Ireland, there is generally no option but a fee-paying school. Most, if not all, of these schools are boarding schools which obviously cannot exist without fees. For that matter, these schools could not exist without boarding pupils, as they could not attract sufficient numbers to be viable.
In short, we have no option but to pay fees. I can assure you it is not by choice.
Having had two children in fee-paying secondary school for a number of years, one has now moved on to university, the costs of accommodation, travel, living, books, etc, are greater than for secondary school already, and it is not reasonable that any fees in excess of those charged presently should be levied.
To be candid, those in Government need to deal with the appalling wasteful spending of public funds, which is visible on a constant basis to any ordinary member of the public, rather than extract yet more money from hard pressed taxpayers. - Yours, etc,
ANDREW WALLACE, Ballacolla, Abbeyleix, Co Laois.