Madam, – Orlaith Carmody (Education Today, September 29th) argues that those who opt to send their children to fee-paying schools should not be demonised. Of course she is perfectly right. Nobody should be demonised for spending their after-tax money in whatever manner they like, provided it is legal. Where I disagree with her is when she states that in her view fee-paying schools are not elitist.
Of course, fee-paying schools are elitist, just as Michelin-starred restaurants are elitist. I have no problem with people eating in expensive restaurants or sending their children to fee-paying schools provided they pay the full cost of the service provided. But, unlike expensive restaurants, these schools are subsidised to the tune of €100 million a year. To say that these schools save the taxpayer money is a canard. Fee-paying schools by their nature do not accept their fair share of social responsibility. Parents who have tried to access these schools for their less academically inclined or physically impaired children have often been told that they do not have the facilities to cater for their needs. Yet the non fee-paying schools are required to cope, with even fewer resources.
The real problem in Irish education is that those with money and influence can opt out of the State system at a fraction of what it would cost in other European countries, and consequently do not use their position in society to improve the system for all. The reality is that State-subsidised private education is an anomaly in a modern democracy. If parents wish to opt out of the general system, they should be prepared to pay the real cost for the exclusivity – which would be considerably more than what they now pay. – Yours, etc,