Most think State should not run all public schools

JUST A quarter of people surveyed for a Red C opinion poll want all publicly funded schools to be run by the State. It also found that three-quarters of those polled wanted to have a choice of publicly funded schools, including church-run schools.

The poll, conducted on behalf of the Iona Institute, a Catholic think tank, involved a random sample of 1,000 adults across the State being interviewed by phone between June 22nd and June 24th last.

It found that support for all publicly funded schools being run by the State is lowest among the under 35s, at just 21 per cent. Among voters, it was lowest among Fine Gael supporters, at 22 per cent.

The findings are similar to those of a poll conducted in March 2008 by Red C on behalf of the Iona Institute, indicating that publication of the Ryan report hasn’t shifted public opinion on church involvement in education.

Iona Institute director David Quinn said the survey showed “very little support for the idea that the State should take over the running of all publicly funded schools”.

He said the “real question” wasn’t whether the church or the State should run schools, “but whether the State or some third party, in accordance with the wishes of parents, should do so. The third party could be one of the churches, or a non-denominational body”.