State funding of private education must end, says Ó Ríordáin

Ireland has spent €588m on funding private education between 2018 and 2023.

The figures have been roundly condemned by Labour TD and party spokesperson on education, Aodhán Ó Ríordáin.

Parliamentary Questions submitted by the Dublin Bay North TD reveal that up to €3.6 million was spent on capital planning and building for private institutions in 2021/2022.

The figure saw a rise from €999,265 in 2020/2021 and a drastic jump from 2018/2019, capital planning and building when the total ran to €162,942.

Ó Ríordáin said “once teachers and SNAs salaries have been paid, the State shouldn’t be giving any handouts to private schools that have a fee-paying policy. They have access to this funding – why is the State subsidising their building?”

“This spending is happening in the context of hard-working families who are hamstrung by the costs of returning to school in September. It’s outrageous that the Minister is handing money out to private institutions like this.”

Ó Ríordáin, who worked as a teacher and principal prior to becoming a politician, pointed to a recent Barnardos survey that showed parents were struggling to pay for back-to-school costs and called for greater Government action on the issue.

“Last week, Barnardos told us that almost a quarter of secondary school parents are having to take out a loan or borrow money to meet the return to school costs. It beggars belief that the Government is devoted to continuing a two-tier approach to education.”

“Education is supposed to be the great equaliser, but Government is abjectly failing in this.”

“The cost of building works for private schools should be consistently zero. I am calling for the Minister for Education to end the practice of subsidising private schools.”

Speaking to the Irish Mirror, Ó Ríordáin said “we should not be giving them (fee-paying schools) anything.”

“I just wanted to make absolutely sure [by asking this question] that we don’t pay for any of their building work but it turns out we do,” he explained.

“These are schools that have decided to have a fee-paying policy. They have access to those fees.

“They’re tapping into the resources of the State – that is wrong and should stop.”