Sir, – There are 50 voluntary “free” Deis schools spread across the nation and about 50 per cent of these are former CBS schools serving inner-city communities. In Dublin, these include Scoil Iósaif in Fairview (Joey’s), O’Connell’s, St Paul’s in North Brunswick Street, Synge Street and Westland Row. These schools have a significant history and teaching heritage, and have continuously adapted to meet the educational needs of their communities right up to the present day.
The reality of life is that non-Deis schools in the voluntary sector can bridge the State funding shortfall from private fundraising, mainly from parents. Unfortunately, Deis schools are unable to raise sufficient funds from parents and are forced to rely on students and teachers to raise funds just to keep the lights on. The clear social injustice is that students and teachers from the most disadvantaged Deis schools, unlike Deis schools in the State sector and parent-financed voluntary sector schools, must divert between 29 and 35 hours per annum from education to fundraising activities. Even in the bad old days of 50 to 60 years ago, students didn’t have to do that.
Research conducted by Joey’s alumni calculates that it would require approximately €3.5 million per year in additional State funding to Deis schools in the voluntary sector to remedy this injustice. This would ensure that all Deis schools (State and voluntary) are funded equally and that the 17,500 children attending these 50 schools are not further disadvantaged. – Yours, etc,
DAVID RAFFERTY,
President of Joey’s Alumni
(Past Pupils’ Union
for Scoil Iósaif, Fairview),
Malahide,
Co Dublin.