Not even Church schools are forgiven when it comes to economic difficulties and most have had to ask for a higher “voluntary donation” from parents to enable them to keep up with utility bills and technological advances.

Parents with financial difficulties are told to forget about the donation

Half of the Church schools that spoke to The Times recently increased their voluntary-donation requests by an average of €105 a year.

This increase is intended to cover aspects such as administrative and maintenance costs, utilities, ICT and laboratory equipment, sports facilities, salaries for maternity leave replacement teachers and extra-curricular activities.

One school, St Paul’s Missionary College, introduced a nominal voluntary donation of €150 this scholastic year after it opened a new primary school.

Only two schools do not ask for a donation, while another leaves families free to give the amount they wish or afford.

The government provides financial support to Church school, as does the Church itself. According to the 1991 State-Church agreement, the government subsidises 10 per cent over and above staff costs to cover any other expenses and last year pledged €43.2 million in subsidies.

Parents who contacted The Times raised an eyebrow over the rising requests for donations in the past two years.

Schools must inform the government about fees charged before the beginning of the scholastic year.

However, Church schools are not obliged to inform the Education Department about voluntary donations.

The Times sent questions to 48 Church schools but only 23 answered, while St Michael School directed the newspaper to its online portal and to parents themselves to gain more information.

In general, Church schools say they do not “charge” a fixed donation but suggest a particular amount depending on the number of students and the school’s total expenditure, including infrastructural work carried out in summer.

From the information provided to The Times, the requested donations vary widely, between a yearly €150 and €600 per student.

Six schools suggest a fixed amount to be donated per family, irrespective of the number of children attending the school. Parents or guardians are then left free to decide on the amount of money to donate.

Not all families give a donation, while others provide a fraction of it. To make ends meet, some schools hold fund-raising events.

The schools argued that the donation was not a fee, and families were free to give as much as they could afford. Most schools said parents with financial difficulties were told to “forget about the donation”, while some students were provided with resources and “even the bare essentials”.

Parents are usually informed about the schools’ income and expenditure through information booklets and newsletters.

The Convent of the Sacred Heart School Foundation even sets aside a small sum to support parents of children who require professional assistance not available at school, such as a psychological service.