Integration to be speeded up

Press, 7 March 1978, Page 11

Integration to be speeded up

PA Wellington Plans to integrate 30 Roman Catholic schools with the State education system during the next 12 months have been approved by the Government. About 11,000 pupils are involved. The list, which includes 18 primary schools and 12 secondary schools, was released by the Executive Director of the Catholic Education Office (Mr P. Hoult). Integration means that the Government pays for the running costs such as staff salaries, while the proprietors, who retain ownership of the buildings and the land, have to meet capital costs.

The Catholic schools had originally planned a

five-year phasing-in programme of integration, with none of the schools to be formally integrated until the end of the five years. However, the phasing-in programme had brought administrative difficulties for both the Education Department and the Catholic schools, Mr Hoult said. The total Government grant for integration had not been increased, although Mr Hoult hoped it would be increased, at least to cover inflation. “The same amount of money will be available, but it will be distributed differentlv so that it i« more evenly spread. It was not being very evenly spread before,” he said. After this year more Roman Catholic schools will be integrated as quickly as possible.