The Protestant archbishop of Dublin has criticised the government over its recent education cutbacks.

Dr John Neill said the spending reductions announced earlier this year are an attack on Protestant schools, RTE reports.

He said the decision to withdraw certain funding from Protestant education providers is unjust.
According to RTE, "the state's 21 Protestant fee-paying schools used to receive funding equivalent to that given to non fee-paying schools. They were also allocated the same teacher allocation".

However, most of the special payments have now been withdrawn.

In related news, the Irish Times has reported that education minister Batt O'Keeffe is set to meet with Protestant school representatives today to discuss the situation.

Speaking in the Dail yesterday, he said the government is committed to ensuring that children can attend schools that represent their "denominational ethos".

Mr O'Keeffe added that he is willing to consider proposals on how funding can be focused more effectively.

Written by Donal Walsh

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