Half of the funding allocated by the government as part of the remote area boarding grant is going to parents of students attending a single school for girls, it has been claimed.

According to the Irish Examiner, most of the 142 pupils at Colaiste Ide - an all-Irish boarding school in Co Kerry - are eligible for the assistance, which is not means tested and can offer as much as 5,000 euros per student.

The Department of Education states: "The purpose of the scheme is to give pupils who are educationally disadvantaged because of their remoteness from schools an opportunity to attend school on the same basis."

Figures obtained by Radio Kerry revealed 99 pupils at Colaiste Ide successfully claimed under the initiative last year, receiving a total of 472,375 euros.

Parents of boarding pupils at the schools have been able to claim over 1.9 million euros in state aid in the last five years to help cover the institution's fees, it added.

With many educational facilities likely to be hit by government cutbacks to area such as special needs, the National Parents Council has called for a review of the scheme.

Written by Donal Walsh
 

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