Press Releases04 Jan 12

Church of Ireland Archbishop of Dublin welcomes Department of Education Initiative

The Church of Ireland Archbishop of Dublin, the Most Revd Dr Michael Jackson, is encouraging all fee–charging schools under Church of Ireland management to participate in and cooperate with a Department of Education initiative to find out how they spend their fee income.

Archbishop Jackson stated that he welcomed the initiative of the Minister for Education and Skills, Mr Ruairi Quinn TD, as outlined in the Budget Statement of December 2011 and which has been highlighted by The Irish Times (3/1/12), to conduct an exploration of how fee–charging schools spend their parental fee income.

‘I welcome the initiative of the Minister for Education and Skills, Mr Ruairi Quinn TD, as outlined in the Budget Statement of December 2011, and subsequently highlighted by The Irish Times (3/1/12). The Minister seeks to conduct an exploration of how fee–charging schools spend their parental fee–income.

‘This initiative provides an opportunity for all such schools to show the ways in which fee–income is being used to supplement the resources of individual schools. I welcome also recognition in the reporting of this issue of the need to maintain a network of schools to enable students of minority denominations to attend a school which lives out, on a daily basis, the Christian ethos through the characteristic spirit of a particular denomination.

‘As well as offering fee–charging secondary schools the scope to show how fee–income is spent for the benefit of all pupils. This audit will enable schools to demonstrate to the Minister if they are in difficulty and why this is the case. At a meeting in Leinster House before Christmas, the Minister reiterated to the Archbishop of Armagh, the Bishop of Cork and myself that he is anxious that Protestant secondary schools would engage with his Department to try and ensure that any school encountering difficulties could work with his Department in assessing options for its long term viability. For my own part, I encourage all fee–charging schools under Church of Ireland management to participate and co–operate in this initiative.’

Statement from The Most Reverend Dr Michael Jackson, Church of Ireland Archbishop of Dublin and Chair, Church of Ireland General Synod Board of Education (RI).