Writing in the Irish Independent on April 30, Ferdia Kelly warns that voluntary secondary schools have reached a financial crisis, and are unable to balance the books on an annual basis. 27% of money spent in a voluntary secondary school each year comes from fund-raising or contributions from parents, he said.

It is also a cause of annoyance that voluntary secondary schools receive on average €98 per pupil per annum less in public funding than schools in the other two post-primary sectors. This means that a voluntary secondary school with 400 students receives €40,000 less per annum than a similar-sized community or vocational school.

Mr Kelly notes how increases in the price of fuel, the advent of water charges, the cost of the insurance premium, and the overall increase in the cost of living are diminishing the potential of parents to help at the same time as they are increasing the financial burden on school management.

He deplores the need for principals and management boards to devote precious time to the impossible task of trying to balance the books - time that ought to be spent in providing leadership and management of the teaching process and ensuring that schools continue to provide the level of excellence for which they are noted.

Ireland straggles well behind almost all EU countries in terms of its spend on education - the OECD survey puts it third last out of 28 countries, trailed only by Greece and Turkey. Figures highlightred by Mr Kelly give food for thought:

• In 1995, the education spend in Ireland was 5.2% of GDP
• In 2007, the education spend in Ireland was 4.6% of GDP
• The OECD average spend on education is 5.8% of GDP.

Mr Kelly exhorts the Government to make hard decisions about funding priorities. In times of recession, health and education must come first if the well-being of the people is to be secured. There must be an easing of the burden on school management to beg and borrow to make ends meet; and Government Ministers must make it their goal, in the second half of their term of office, to achieve the average OECD spend on education of 5.8% of GDP.

Ferdia Kelly is General Secretary of the Joint Managerial Body for Secondary Schools