This year's budget could mean that many Church of Ireland schools will have to cope with reduced teaching resources, it has been claimed.

Bishop of Meath Richard Clarke told a conference in Dublin this week that up to three-quarters of such schools may lose a mainstream teacher within four years, the Irish Times reports, which will leave them "seriously damaged".

His view was echoed by Father Michael Drumm, chairman of the Catholic Schools Partnership, who said the cuts will have a "disproportionate effect on Protestant schools".

He added this situation is "simply unfair and has to be reviewed".

Of the 200 Protestant-controlled primary schools in Ireland, 174 are Church of Ireland, while 24 are Presbyterian, with one Quaker and one Methodist establishment, the newspaper noted.

It was also recently revealed by an Our School Community questionnaire that almost one in four students at these schools is Roman Catholic, with Protestant establishments often having a very diverse pupil base.

Written by Donal Walsh

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