There are two separate funding arrangements operated by the Department of Education and Skills for the number of teachers it will pay for based on a ratio to the number of pupils in a secondary school. These are currently 1 teacher for 18.7 pupils( 19.1 pre 2016) in the Free sector and 1 teacher for 23 pupils in a Private fee charging school. In 1967 when free secondary education was introduced the Minister for Education Donogh O’ Malley agreed to include Protestant and Minority religion schools which charged fees in the Free sector recognising the dispersed nature of these religious communities and the commonality of boarding as a feature of these schools. Provision of funds for capital grants for the Free sector is also higher than the Private fee charging sector. In 2008 Batt O’ Keefe changed the
treatment of minority religion schools which charged fees to the private sector resulting in lower ongoing state funding for these schools.
Compass policy is to restore our schools to the Free sector and on a broader level to have all secondary schools included in the Free sector on the basis that the state should fund all of the nation’ s children equally and if parents choose to send their children to a fee paying school it should be their choice without prejudice.