Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 29 November 2023
78. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Education what analysis her Department has carried out into the different approaches to funding, and any disparities that may arise as a result, between ETB Irish-medium secondary schools and voluntary sector schools; what engagement she has had with the ETB sector in 2023 in this regard; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52869/23]
View answerMy Department has different models of funding to meet the needs of the different types of post-primary school. In the ETB sector, financial allocations are made to ETBs as part of a block grant. ETBs are given a high level of autonomy in the management and appropriation of this grant and each is allowed to distribute its allocations in line with its own priorities and needs. This differs from the capitation grants provided to voluntary secondary schools.
Voluntary secondary schools, in the Free Education scheme, which are privately owned and managed, are funded by my Department by way of per capita grants. An additional per capita grant, known as the Irish and bilingual grant, is paid to secondary schools in the voluntary sector in which instruction is through the medium of Irish in full or in part. Such a grant is not paid to schools in either the Community and Comprehensive or the ETB sectors.
Work on the development of a new policy on Irish-medium education outside of the Gaeltacht is now underway in my Department.
An extensive public consultation process has been conducted to gather the views of stakeholders, including the ETB sector. The issues raised in that consultation will be considered as part of the work on the development of the Policy on Irish-medium Education outside of the Gaeltacht.
