The news of the proposal by Bruce College to establish the State's first commercially-run junior secondary schools raises many interesting issues for the Minister for Education and Science, his Department and the education community. Would the staff be paid out of the public purse? Would the State have different criteria for the recognition of schools that are costing it nothing? Would the development of such a sector even be welcomed by, for example, the Minister for Finance and his Department?

According to the criteria of the new Education Act, the Minister would have to consider:

the viability of the school;

the inadequacy of schooling provision in the catchment area;

the willingness of the owner to co-operate with regular inspection and evaluation.

The proposed schools can hardly hope to achieve recognition unless they indicate their preparedness to provide a curriculum consistent with the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment's principle of curriculum breadth and balance, so that "every young person should have a wide range of educational experiences" during the period of compulsory schooling, to promote the common good. The pedagogy of the curriculum is just as important as the content. For example, IBEC, the employers' group, has said repeatedly that industry wants not "walking libraries" but young people who have developed transferable skills, such as the ability to work with others and to take responsibility for themselves and their own learning. Do private "grind schools", where academic rather than practical subjects are likely to dominate, with their heavy emphasis on tests, supervised study and book learning, have the capacity and the will to respond to this challenge? This will hardly be prioritised in a highly competitive "hot house" environment where academic rather than practical subjects are likely to dominate.

Will the professional criteria of the Teaching Council be applied to the appointment of teachers in the proposed establishments? Will they be competent to implement school-based assessment, if introduced? Will they be subject to whole school evaluation? Are we seeing the introduction of payment by results? How will pupils be selected in the event of such schools being oversubscribed - by ability to pay, only? With entrance exams now abolished, would the State recognise a school which employs entrance tests for selection? How will "creaming off" affect other schools?

Coming so soon after the passing of the Education Act, was there concern that an earlier announcement might have precipitated a public debate which would have resulted in some disabling legislation? The Act will not be in force until the relevant commencement orders are made later this year. Does this mean that the Bruce proposal may be dealt with by pre-Education Act - and perhaps less exacting - regulation?

The proposed extension of commercially-motivated schooling beyond third level and senior cycle represents a watershed in Irish education and may well set off a flood of similar proposals. It will contribute to the perpetuation of privilege by ensuring that those who can afford to pay have every possible advantage in the academic stakes. Private fee-paying schools already exist - arguably they have contributed to privilege - but are inspired by educational vision and ideals and can hardly be regarded as profit-making enterprises in the same way as grind schools.

Now that the period of compulsory schooling has been targeted by commercial interests, it is incumbent on the Minister to subject this application to rigorous scrutiny, taking into account the views of the educational partners.

Department of Education and Professional Studies University of Limerick